String Quartet No. 1 (Mendelssohn)

Felix Mendelssohn by Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow, 1834

Felix Mendelssohn's String Quartet No. 1 in E♭ major, Op. 12, was composed in 1829, completed in London on September 14 (though begun in Berlin), and possibly dedicated to Betty Pistor, a neighbor and the daughter of a Berlin astronomer.

Movements

Like all of Mendelssohn's string quartets, this work has four movements:

1. Adagio non troppo – Allegro non tardante
2. Canzonetta: Allegretto, in G minor
3. Andante espressivo, in B♭ major
4. Molto allegro e vivace, in C minor until a return to E♭ major (and the first movement's material) in the coda

A typical performance lasts just under 25 minutes.

External links

• String Quartet No. 1: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project