Pieces › Ludwig van Beethoven

String Quartet No. 10 in E♭ major, Op. 74 “Harp”

IV. Allegretto con Variazioni

Ludwig van Beethoven · 1809 · E♭ major · 210 bars · 322 chords analysed

Nicknamed for the plucked (pizzicato) arpeggios in the first movement that sound like a harp.

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: E♭ major, C minor, B♭ major, D♭ major.