String quartet in F major after Sonata op.1.1 (Beethoven)

The string quartet in F major based on the piano sonata op. 14 No. 1 in E major is a string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven . It is the only arrangement made by the composer himself for one of his piano sonatas for a string quartet ensemble, with which Beethoven was evidently very satisfied. In a letter to his publisher Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig in 1802, he wrote, "I have transformed a single sonata of mine into a quartet for violin instruments, ... and I know for sure that no one else will easily imitate me."

The underlying piano sonata No. 9was created in 1798 and 1799 and is dedicated to Baroness Josefa von Braun. The string quartet based on it was published in 1802 in the "Bureau d'Arts et d'Industrie" in Vienna. In principle, it is transposed a semitone higher, but otherwise essentially follows the piano movement. However, Beethoven made small changes to the details of the peculiarities of string instruments in various places. For example, the transformation of broken piano chords into tremolo figures (1st movement) or syncopated linearity (3rd movement), the peeling out of melodic-thematic contours from piano-like figures (middle section of the 3rd movement) or changes in the gradations of dynamics. In the quoted letter to Breitkopf & Härtel, Beethoven also made specific comments on this procedure: "Since not only whole passages have to be completely left out and changed, one must - still add."

literature

• Arnold Werner-Jensen: Ludwig van Beethoven. Music guide. Reclam Leipzig, Leipzig, 1st edition 2001, pages 273-274