Razumovsky Quartets

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Razumovsky Quartets

works by Beethoven

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The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center - Beethoven’s Razumovsky Quartets

Also known as: “String Quartets, Nos. 7–9”

Written by

Betsy Schwarm

Betsy Schwarm is a music historian based in Colorado. She serves on the music faculty of Metropolitan State University of Denver and gives pre-performance talks for Opera Colorado and the Colorado Symphony...

Betsy Schwarm

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Byname of:: String Quartets, Op. 59, Nos. 7–9

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Razumovsky Quartets, three string quartets by Ludwig van Beethoven composed in 1805–06 for the Russian ambassador to Vienna, Count Andreas Razumovsky. They premiered in Vienna in February 1807 and were published as a set the following year.

1 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59First movement, “Allegro,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59.

2 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59Second movement, “Allegretto vivace,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59.

3 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59Third movement, “Adagio,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59.

4 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59First movement, “Allegro,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59.

5 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59Second movement, “Molto adagio,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59.

6 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59Third movement, “Allegretto,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59.

7 of 7

Beethoven, Ludwig van: String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59Fourth movement, “Presto,” of Ludwig van Beethoven's String Quartet No. 8 in E Minor, Op. 59.

The Razumovsky Quartets reflect a sharp departure from Beethoven’s earlier chamber music, which had been written in a simple style with Vienna’s many amateur ensembles in mind. The Razumovsky Quartets are richer and more varied, with intricate layering of parts and ambitious development of themes, but they also place heavy technical demands on the players. There are jolting emotional shifts, often matched by radical stylistic juxtapositions such as the balancing of a cerebral fugue theme against the verve of a Russian country dance.

The quartets’ reception was largely negative. The violinist Ignaz Schuppanzigh, who had performed many of Beethoven’s chamber works, insisted that they were too unusual and challenging and predicted that few violinists would be able to play them.

Betsy Schwarm