String Quartet No. 7 (Beethoven)

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Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 7 in F major was published in 1806 as opus 59, no. 1. It consists of four movements:

1. Allegro in F major
2. Allegretto vivace e sempre scherzando in B flat major
3. Adagio molto e mesto - attaca in F minor
4. Theme Russe: Allegro in F major

This work is the first of three quartets commissioned by prince Andreas Razumovsky, then the Russian ambassador to Vienna. This quartet is the first of Beethoven's middle period quartets and exhibits a marked departure in style from his earlier opus 18 quartets. The most apparent difference is that this quartet is over forty minutes long in a typical performance, whereas most of Beethoven's earlier quartets typically lasted only twenty-five to thirty minutes.

The first movement is an expansive opener in sonata form, with a fugato in the development. It lasts nearly twelve minutes even though it foregoes the customary double exposition. The second movement has the character but not the form of a scherzo, like the corresponding movement of the Archduke Trio; it is formally one of the most unusual movements of Beethoven's middle period, not easily classifiable either as a sonata form or as any common variation of scherzo and trio form. The third movement is also in sonata form, expansive in material but without a development section. The final movement is built around a popular Russian theme, likely an attempt to ingratiate the work to its Russian commissioner.

[edit] See also

String Quartets Nos. 7 - 9, Opus 59 - Rasumovsky (Beethoven)

[edit] References and further reading

• Joseph Kerman, The Beethoven Quartets. New York, W.W. Norton & Co., 1966. ISBN 0-393-00909-2

String Quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven
String quartets, Op. 18 | Op. 18 No. 1 | Op. 18 No. 2 | Op. 18 No. 3 | Op. 18 No. 4 | Op. 18 No. 5 | Op. 18 No. 6
String quartets, Op. 59 ("Rasumovsky") | Op. 59 No. 1 | Op. 59 No. 2 | Op. 59 No. 3
Middle period quartets | Op. 74 ("Harp") | Op. 95 ("Serioso")
Late quartets | Op. 127 | Op. 130 | Op. 131 | Op. 132 | Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 | Op. 135
Arrangement by Beethoven of Op. 14 No. 1