This was the first of the Opus 18 quartets to be written. It was placed third in order by Beethoven because it didn’t grab the listener the way the F Major Quartet did. It’s a look backward to Haydn, and Lou isn’t breaking any new ground here.
The first movement is marked “allegro,” and it’s in straightforward sonata format. The transitional passage in C Major leads to the A Major second subject. The exposition is repeated. Development turns to the minor, and he works the first subject, ending it with a very high D on the second violin. The recap puts everything in the correct key via an F Major transitional passage. The coda is based on a mixture of the development and the second subject.
The slow movement is marked “andante con moto,” and it’s in sonata format, which is unusual for a Beethoven slow movement. The first subject in B-flat is beautiful and gracious. The second subject looks forward to the Eighth Symphony, decades in the future. The development section is serious and contrapuntal. The recap is a bit more serious than the exposition.
The scherzo is marked “allegro” and features some offbeat accents. The middle section goes into the minor.
The finale, marked “presto,” is in a very fast 6/8, and here Lou shifts the general weight of the piece to the finale. This is in sonata format with the usual key relationships. The development works the material via counterpoint. The recap gets more and more adventurous, ambitions – and funny! It has the sneakiest ending that Beethoven has yet written.
Tomorrow night it’s the fourth quartet of this series.
Considering all the ground Lou broke, I think we can give him a pass on this one! LOL!
Even geniuses have to coast ONCE in a while! :-)