String Quartet No. 3 (Beethoven)

The String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18, No. 3, was written by Ludwig van Beethoven between 1798 and 1800 and published in 1801, dedicated to Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz. Although it is numbered third, it was the first quartet Beethoven composed.

String Quartet
No. 3
Early string quartet by Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, c. 1796
Key	D major
Opus	18, No. 3
Composed	1798–1800
Dedication	Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz
Published	1801
Movements	Four

Analysis

It consists of four movements:

1. Allegro (D major)
2. Andante con moto (B-flat major)
3. Scherzo Allegro (D major) - Trio (D minor)
4. Presto (D major)

According to Michael Steinberg, this is "the gentlest, most consistently Minore & Maggoire lyrical work [within Beethoven's Op. 18]",^[1] except for the fourth movement, in which "Beethoven first explores the idea of shifting the centre of gravity toward the end of a multimovement work".^[2]

The first movement starts with a gentle and unassuming theme:

Beethoven Quartet, Op. 18 No. 3, opening

However, its return at the start of the recapitulation shows the theme in an entirely different light. Philip Radcliffe describes this moment as “beautifully contrived”.^[3] Burstein describes the dramatic and unusual harmonic progression at the end of the development section as “breathtaking”.^[4]

Beethoven Quartet Op. 18 No.3, first movement, bars 156–162

“The sudden reinterpretation of the C♯ creates a type of tonal crisis which has deep structural ramifications for the entire movement. Beethoven's brilliant manner of dealing with the implications of this unusual strategy indicates a debt to his teacher, Haydn, and also reveals much about Beethoven's own craft and artistic vision.”^[4] The final movement contains a theme that resembles the Mexican hat dance.