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String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4

I. Allegro ma non tanto

Ludwig van Beethoven · 1798–1800 · C minor · 221 bars · 552 chords analysed

The only minor-key quartet of Op. 18, in Beethoven's stormy key of C minor.

Beethoven's 16 string quartets trace his whole life. The six of Op. 18 (1798–1800) master the classical style he inherited from Haydn and Mozart; the middle quartets stretch it; the late quartets (1825–26), written when he was completely deaf, are among the most searching music ever composed.

Keys visited: C minor, E♭ major, G minor, F minor, F major, C major.