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String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59 No. 2 “Razumovsky”

I. Allegro

Ludwig van Beethoven · 1806 · E minor · 261 bars · 443 chords analysed

The second Razumovsky quartet; a Russian hymn tune appears in the third movement.

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 minor, C minor, G minor, G major, E♭ major, B minor, A♭ major, C major, A minor, D minor, E major, E♭ minor.