Ludwig van Beethoven composed his String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4, between 1798 and 1800 in Vienna and published in 1801. The Op. 18 collection is dedicated to Joseph Franz von Lobkowitz.
Overview
The Op. 18 collection is sometimes difficult to study historically because the manuscripts no longer exist and much about them is conjecture or guesses. The fourth quartet is unique in the set in that there is no evidence that sketches or drafts of this quartet can be found. He would often draw upon earlier works when looking for inspiration, keeping journals of sketches and notes. For this reason, it may have been the last to have been composed. The key of the piece, C minor, is the only minor key in the set. This key used in other compositions of Beethoven's, such as Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 "Sonata Pathetique" and Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67.
II. Andante scherzoso quasi allegretto (C major)
This movement replaces what would normally be a slow movement in traditional classical movement structure with a scherzo fugue. Like the first movement, it is in sonata form. In the beginning of the movement the second violin begins the piece, followed by the viola in m. 6, the first violin in m. 10, and the cello in m. 13.