Pieces › Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11

4 movements

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky · 1871 · D major · 951 bars · 574 chords analysed

The Andante cantabile, on a folk song Tchaikovsky heard a carpenter sing, moved Tolstoy to tears.

A string quartet — two violins, viola and cello — is often called a conversation between four friends. With only four voices, every chord is easy to see and hear, which makes quartets a wonderful way to study harmony.

Keys visited: D major, A major, F major, F♯ major, E minor, F♯ minor, G minor, D minor, D♭ major, B♭ minor, B♭ major, C♯ minor.