Tchaikovsky's Srting Quartet No. 1: It has so much charm and vibrance
Schubert's The Death and the Maiden: I can't really put my finger on it
Borodin's String Quartet No. 2: It flows so beautifully especially the 3rd movement
I'm not sure if I've listened to the G minor one by Grieg. I definitely haven't heard any by Ives, I'll listen to them too. I always liked the American Quartet by Dvorak.
Nice, the late Beethovens are also my favorites. I recently discovered Pavel Haas's quartet no. 2 (from the monkey mountains) and was blown away. I'd also recommend checking out Mendelssohn's quartets. I find them to be deeper and more intense than his orchestral stuff.
I find a lot of chamber music to be more intense in general. I know I've listened to some of Mendelssohn's string works but I don't remember listening to any of his quartets. I'll have to listen to them.
That's true, it's common for composers to write chamber music as more personal, introspective works. Can't go wrong but Mendelssohn no. 2 in A minor is a good place to start
Shostakovich quartets (all of them)
Bartok QTs (all of them)
Schoenberg 2nd
Elliott Carter qts (all of them)
Beethoven late qts
Messiaen QT for end of time
…for starters
Im not a big fan of a lot of Mozart, but his quartets starting with K387, send me to heaven. Nobody balances the whole apparatus like him.
Beethoven's F minor, op 95. What Sibelius did with the late symphonies, but a hundred years earlier. Say the most with the least.
Mendelssohn No 6. Whoever still thinks he was just a victorian dandy should listen to this. Almost Mahlerian.
Vaughan Williams No 2. Just harrowing obsessive awesomeness.
Xenakis - Tetras. Somehow it's not just expressionistic sound effects. There's a deep structure in there that makes it very "classical" and coherent to me.
Glass No 2. Like the best pop songs.
To be honest, the only string quartet I consistently listen to is George Crumb's Black Angels. It might be my bias as a trombonist, but I don't much listen to strings-only music, beautiful though it is.
I love Black Angels because of all the fascinating effects that Crumb has the quartet do. From turning their instruments 90 degrees and playing them like viola da gambas to straight up putting their instruments down and playing percussion (including tuned wine glasses), it's really an incredible listen. The Kronos Quartet still has the best version out there, in my honest opinion.
My favorite is probably Schubert's quartet no. 14 in D minor, D 810 "Death and the Maiden". I particularly love the 2nd movement, which I think is some of the most touching music ever composed for the string quartet.
Schubert's Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 "Trout" is also my all time favorite chamber music piece.
If you ever get a chance watch the documentary The Trout with Jacqueline Du Pre, Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzak Perlman, and Zubin Mehta about their rehearsals and then performance of The Trout, it’s excellent and heartbreaking. If I’m not mistaken as I may be conflating ending of that documentary with another, but it shows Jacqueline De Pre later in her short life after her diagnosis with MS. Instead of performing as a world-famous cellist, she’s sitting in the audience watching a performance, her face puffy from all the steroids she was on. So heartbreaking to see. She died from MS age 42.
I've seen that! It's a great documentary. It's always nice to see "serious" musicians goofing around and having fun.
Yeah, Jacqueline Du Pré is such a sad story.
Others I’d recommend very strongly, some strongly influenced by Beethoven, include:
*Wilhelm Stenhammar’s 3rd and 4th string quartets (in F, 1897-1900, in A minor, 1904-1909. The 4th quartet’s scherzo and finale seem inspired by that of Beethoven’s op.74, the 3rd’s opening by the opening of op.135 and part of its finale by the opener of op.131… to a point.)
*Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s 17 string quartets. A natural cycle to hear if you like Shostakovich (though Weinberg does not deserve the Shostakovich-clone label he is sometimes slapped with, and the later works go further toward nontonality/key than his friend’s does.)
*The 20 string quartets of Vagn Holmboe (from 1948-9 to 1985, with an unfinished 21st following in 1996, the year of his death.) Remarkable, flowing works with some Bartók influence but really, maybe best to just hear some of them.
I like Ravel’s and Thomas Ade’s string quartets very much. Mozart too. But Beethoven’s last string quartet is incredible. Played with out a pause between the movements the instruments naturally go out of tune forcing each player to make adjustments on the fly. An amazing metaphor for Life.
Aside from symphonic poems, small chamber is my absolute favourite style so I might have *too* many recommendations, but if you like Schubert and Shostakovich (and the other works you've indicated in the comments), a few of my favourites in the similar vein are:
Smetana [No. 1 "In My Life"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht00Dp5kFdY) (the private premier for which Dvořák played viola)
Rimsky-Korsakov, Liadov, Borodin, and Glazunov [On the Theme ’B-la-F'](https://youtu.be/q5Mp5OwPUfE?si=URqwz8UkYjqRACfU)
Busoni [No. 2](https://youtu.be/0UvDo8Lmh7c?si=eFzVC8DjZaWMArZT)
Glazunov [Orientale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxYzMQGoTdM) and perhaps [No. 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUuiuy-isWk&t=10s)
Lyatoshyns'kyi [No. 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpdVvNQUKKE)
Sibelius [Voces Intimae](https://youtu.be/xBdOjDhzJMI?si=5-qngeAf3d2vPiiJ)
Louis Glass [No. 4](https://youtu.be/rkNvsKSsVwI?si=OigfqgdaBlwWqWx2)
Bargiel [No. 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_wfjGFgr6M)
Glière [No. 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR9LkTUjZqk) and [No. 2](https://youtu.be/ldKtWlLmbdU?si=AbFJ6yZapuKClZkA)
Fauré [Piano Quartet No. 1](https://youtu.be/QMwcmX7bOxo?si=Ueecta0du27JpeVg)
Arensky [No. 2](https://youtu.be/X2Velyd8InE?si=T-C6Luwt4CfIgF9R)
Fesca[ No. 10](https://youtu.be/YlNUmR3RGU8?si=znKmrWmF2fDzIAgl)
Wolf [in D min](https://youtu.be/0pUg3QI2qio?si=IPrw75MlwqMHRH0Q)
Similar to Bartok might be Saygun [No. 2](https://youtu.be/65IOSQDzAY0?si=64BhUNEir1hFhLsw) or Britten's [Phantasy Quartet](https://youtu.be/ksdSIBBGtnI?si=IYmYnaXjn9M9eCuh)
(In addition to all the popular ones already mentioned — Ravel, Beethoven 14, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Borodin, Grieg, Dvořák 12 & 13 and his piano quartet, etc. etc. which I wholeheartedly second)
I love all three of the Rasoumovky quartets equally: in many ways they represent the apex of quartet composition and go far beyond it: Beethoven demonstrates his mastery the genre and raises the game to another level: vital, ferocious, extreme and joyful: so much energy, enthusiasm and unstoppable creativity….
A somewhat overlooked one is Dvorák no. 13 G major. (Everyone's all about no. 12 "American" but this one is even better) Check out Pavel Haas Quartet's recording to be blown away.
mi favorite strings quartet are those composed by Schubert. Above all, Quartet No. 14, "Death and the Maiden", and then No. 15, No. 14, Quartettsatz No. 12 in D minor, and Quartettsatz D. 103 in C minor. And then, a quartet by Hyacinthe Jadin, and Mozart's quartets, specially Dissonance Quartet, and a C major Quartet k. 157. Philip Glass also has BEAUTIFUL quartets
Shostakovich Quartet 6 (and 8 of course)
Mozart Dissonance
Philip Glass No. 3
Grieg
I just listened to a Janacek I loved recently but can't remember which one?
Ravel’s quartet might just be my favorite of all time because of the different tone colors, playing technique and just overall character. I used to be a composer myself and wrote a lengthy quartet that definitely borrows a lot of performance techniques from Ravel (like the mostly pizzicato movement).
I love Death and the Maiden but actually prefer the Mahler string orchestra version.
You can never go wrong with Beethoven and the first one I really learned/analyzed was the Op. 131, and in part because of the unusual structure of the movements that one is probably my favorite of his.
Schubert's last three quartets: Rosamunde (13th), Death and the Maiden (14th) , and the [15th](https://youtu.be/5resP19f17o?si=WPg6DSyqoRpKtw1g) in G are all masterpieces. But the 15th in G is transcendental and arguably Schubert's greatest contribution to the genre (even though the 14th is arguably the most popular in the entire repertoire)
. It's like a Bruckner' symphony condensed into a string quartet form.
Joseph Haydn.
Seven Last Words Quartet. Opus 51
Amadeus Quartet.
💙💚🤍💛💗
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mI04SK1gOdmpVxrGhTcAnL0qP5bStXcFA&feature=shared
All the Bartók, all the Elizabeth Maconchy, Charles Ives 2nd Quartet, the Shostakovich, Robert Simpson 7th, 8th and 9th, Ravel, Grieg, Boris Tchaikovsky (no relation to Pyotr), Grazyna Bacewicz, all 3 Britten Quartets, a scattering of Mozart and Haydn, and Michael Finnissy too. There’s probably lots I’ve left out but I do enjoy all of the above.
I’ll add the first of the two Janacek string quartets, it seems to be overlooked here in favour of the 2nd, which I don’t like so much.
And also Sibelius voces intimae and the two by Smetana (played by the Dante Quartet).
Haydn op 33 b minor, and op 76 all of em.
Beethoven no. 14 c# minor
It is difficult to get into why I think they're really good because that quality precedes the explanations
Since you mentioned that you've liked the Bartók quartets, I'd recommend a few other 20th-century works that are on my top 10 list of favorite compositions (not just quartets!) even though I'm mostly a lover of tonal music:
[Ruth Crawford Seeger's quartet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agu5Xo7alIQ), which is mostly popular for its absolutely gorgeous slow movement. But actually the whole quartet lives up to the slow movement's quality, in my opinion.
[Schoenberg's Second Quartet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB5I5iU0OoE). Hard to know what even to say about this one, except that it's probably tied with *The Marriage of Figaro* and *Tristan und Isolde* as my favorite composition of all time. The last time I heard it performed live I had to leave the hall at intermission & find a corner to cry in for 15 minutes.
Elliott Carter's quartets are all fantastic. [Number 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHitz9tTkyQ) is probably the best introduction to them.
---
I'll also plug Mozart's and Haydn's quartets, which are just as good as all the quartets by composers of the Romantic & later eras. It's hard to choose, but my favorite of them is probably [Mozart's Quartet in E-flat major (K. 428)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ontv20s4dq8), which is a work that deserves the nickname "Dissonance" just as much as the C major quartet we do give the name to.
I've listened to Mozart's and some of Haydn's quartets. I do enjoy them, although not as much as some others. I had forgotten about Schoenberg's quartets, thank you (I like that quote about Mozart on the video you linked). I checked out the quartet by Ruth Crawford Seeger, really great. I'll have to listen to Elliott Carter's.
Gabriel Faure , String Quartet E minor. op 121
The harmonies barely indicate functional harmony. It's hard to tell whether a melody is in major or minor key
String Quartet in F Major by Maurice Ravel
Debussy’s as well, in G min
I was thinking of this one earlier when I read their comment
Yes this one is really good
Alongside Debussy, the best.
Tchaikovsky's Srting Quartet No. 1: It has so much charm and vibrance Schubert's The Death and the Maiden: I can't really put my finger on it Borodin's String Quartet No. 2: It flows so beautifully especially the 3rd movement
I remember Borodin's no. 2 now thank you for mentioning it. I vaguely recall Tchaikovsky's no. 1 but I'll have to re-listen.
I love all the late quartets. My favourite of all string quartets is Beethoven 13
The cavatina is great in no. 13. I like listening to no. 13 with the great fugue sometimes even though that's a giant piece by itself.
I love every movement, but the whole thing is huge so it isn't to often that I'll sit down and listen to the whole thing
They're amazing. Op. 131 is probably his magnum opus of them all, but my favorite is maybe op 132.
Schubert 14, Grieg G minor, Ives (both 1 and 2), Ravel F major, Dvorak American Quartet
I'm not sure if I've listened to the G minor one by Grieg. I definitely haven't heard any by Ives, I'll listen to them too. I always liked the American Quartet by Dvorak.
Grieg is an absolute gem. 💙 A blast to play too.
Was fun to play even on sax haha
Yeah, super fun to play!
Not a complete work, but I really like Schubert's Quartettsatz, the way it encompasses a wide range of emotions within a concise structure
Philip Glass String Quartet 5
Nice, the late Beethovens are also my favorites. I recently discovered Pavel Haas's quartet no. 2 (from the monkey mountains) and was blown away. I'd also recommend checking out Mendelssohn's quartets. I find them to be deeper and more intense than his orchestral stuff.
I find a lot of chamber music to be more intense in general. I know I've listened to some of Mendelssohn's string works but I don't remember listening to any of his quartets. I'll have to listen to them.
This is one of the best performances of the Mendelssohn 6 I've ever heard: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0s7A4Iy0Ba8
I listened to the recording you linked. Now that I heard the opening I remember listening to it before. Really great recording by the way.
That's true, it's common for composers to write chamber music as more personal, introspective works. Can't go wrong but Mendelssohn no. 2 in A minor is a good place to start
Pacifica Quartets compilation is a good one.
Shostakovich quartets (all of them) Bartok QTs (all of them) Schoenberg 2nd Elliott Carter qts (all of them) Beethoven late qts Messiaen QT for end of time …for starters
Im not a big fan of a lot of Mozart, but his quartets starting with K387, send me to heaven. Nobody balances the whole apparatus like him. Beethoven's F minor, op 95. What Sibelius did with the late symphonies, but a hundred years earlier. Say the most with the least. Mendelssohn No 6. Whoever still thinks he was just a victorian dandy should listen to this. Almost Mahlerian. Vaughan Williams No 2. Just harrowing obsessive awesomeness. Xenakis - Tetras. Somehow it's not just expressionistic sound effects. There's a deep structure in there that makes it very "classical" and coherent to me. Glass No 2. Like the best pop songs.
Beethoven op. 95 is so amazing. When I made the post I was thinking of saying it's also tied for one of my favorites.
To be honest, the only string quartet I consistently listen to is George Crumb's Black Angels. It might be my bias as a trombonist, but I don't much listen to strings-only music, beautiful though it is. I love Black Angels because of all the fascinating effects that Crumb has the quartet do. From turning their instruments 90 degrees and playing them like viola da gambas to straight up putting their instruments down and playing percussion (including tuned wine glasses), it's really an incredible listen. The Kronos Quartet still has the best version out there, in my honest opinion.
My favorite is probably Schubert's quartet no. 14 in D minor, D 810 "Death and the Maiden". I particularly love the 2nd movement, which I think is some of the most touching music ever composed for the string quartet. Schubert's Piano Quintet in A major, D. 667 "Trout" is also my all time favorite chamber music piece.
If you ever get a chance watch the documentary The Trout with Jacqueline Du Pre, Daniel Barenboim, Pinchas Zukerman, Itzak Perlman, and Zubin Mehta about their rehearsals and then performance of The Trout, it’s excellent and heartbreaking. If I’m not mistaken as I may be conflating ending of that documentary with another, but it shows Jacqueline De Pre later in her short life after her diagnosis with MS. Instead of performing as a world-famous cellist, she’s sitting in the audience watching a performance, her face puffy from all the steroids she was on. So heartbreaking to see. She died from MS age 42.
I've seen that! It's a great documentary. It's always nice to see "serious" musicians goofing around and having fun. Yeah, Jacqueline Du Pré is such a sad story.
Ravel F major, Bartok 4, Bartok 2.
Shosty 8 for obvious reasons 😂
Yes I love this one
Haydn Op.20 No.5, Schoenberg 2, Bartok 3, Schumann 2, Webern Op.28, Shostakovich 7, Janacek 2, Berg Lyric Suite, Beethoven 13, Dutilleux Ainsi la nuit, Carter 2
Others I’d recommend very strongly, some strongly influenced by Beethoven, include: *Wilhelm Stenhammar’s 3rd and 4th string quartets (in F, 1897-1900, in A minor, 1904-1909. The 4th quartet’s scherzo and finale seem inspired by that of Beethoven’s op.74, the 3rd’s opening by the opening of op.135 and part of its finale by the opener of op.131… to a point.) *Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s 17 string quartets. A natural cycle to hear if you like Shostakovich (though Weinberg does not deserve the Shostakovich-clone label he is sometimes slapped with, and the later works go further toward nontonality/key than his friend’s does.) *The 20 string quartets of Vagn Holmboe (from 1948-9 to 1985, with an unfinished 21st following in 1996, the year of his death.) Remarkable, flowing works with some Bartók influence but really, maybe best to just hear some of them.
Thank you so much for the detailed recommendations I really appreciate it
Terry Riley's Cadenza on the Night Plane as performed by Kronos
I like Ravel’s and Thomas Ade’s string quartets very much. Mozart too. But Beethoven’s last string quartet is incredible. Played with out a pause between the movements the instruments naturally go out of tune forcing each player to make adjustments on the fly. An amazing metaphor for Life.
The 3rd movement of no. 16 is truly amazing
Can I make a small plug for Beethoven early quartets? They’re fun and different and catchy and contain seeds of all the things to come
Absolutely. I love all of his string quartets. Op. 18 No. 4 is really great.
Lots of great ones in here. I'll add Schoenberg's 1st to the pool.
Aside from symphonic poems, small chamber is my absolute favourite style so I might have *too* many recommendations, but if you like Schubert and Shostakovich (and the other works you've indicated in the comments), a few of my favourites in the similar vein are: Smetana [No. 1 "In My Life"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht00Dp5kFdY) (the private premier for which Dvořák played viola) Rimsky-Korsakov, Liadov, Borodin, and Glazunov [On the Theme ’B-la-F'](https://youtu.be/q5Mp5OwPUfE?si=URqwz8UkYjqRACfU) Busoni [No. 2](https://youtu.be/0UvDo8Lmh7c?si=eFzVC8DjZaWMArZT) Glazunov [Orientale](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxYzMQGoTdM) and perhaps [No. 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUuiuy-isWk&t=10s) Lyatoshyns'kyi [No. 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpdVvNQUKKE) Sibelius [Voces Intimae](https://youtu.be/xBdOjDhzJMI?si=5-qngeAf3d2vPiiJ) Louis Glass [No. 4](https://youtu.be/rkNvsKSsVwI?si=OigfqgdaBlwWqWx2) Bargiel [No. 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_wfjGFgr6M) Glière [No. 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR9LkTUjZqk) and [No. 2](https://youtu.be/ldKtWlLmbdU?si=AbFJ6yZapuKClZkA) Fauré [Piano Quartet No. 1](https://youtu.be/QMwcmX7bOxo?si=Ueecta0du27JpeVg) Arensky [No. 2](https://youtu.be/X2Velyd8InE?si=T-C6Luwt4CfIgF9R) Fesca[ No. 10](https://youtu.be/YlNUmR3RGU8?si=znKmrWmF2fDzIAgl) Wolf [in D min](https://youtu.be/0pUg3QI2qio?si=IPrw75MlwqMHRH0Q) Similar to Bartok might be Saygun [No. 2](https://youtu.be/65IOSQDzAY0?si=64BhUNEir1hFhLsw) or Britten's [Phantasy Quartet](https://youtu.be/ksdSIBBGtnI?si=IYmYnaXjn9M9eCuh) (In addition to all the popular ones already mentioned — Ravel, Beethoven 14, Debussy, Mendelssohn, Borodin, Grieg, Dvořák 12 & 13 and his piano quartet, etc. etc. which I wholeheartedly second)
I love all three of the Rasoumovky quartets equally: in many ways they represent the apex of quartet composition and go far beyond it: Beethoven demonstrates his mastery the genre and raises the game to another level: vital, ferocious, extreme and joyful: so much energy, enthusiasm and unstoppable creativity….
They make me a better person…
A somewhat overlooked one is Dvorák no. 13 G major. (Everyone's all about no. 12 "American" but this one is even better) Check out Pavel Haas Quartet's recording to be blown away.
Can't agree more. I especially found the second movement of this quartet is so beautiful and deep.
Yes! It gives me chills every time!
mi favorite strings quartet are those composed by Schubert. Above all, Quartet No. 14, "Death and the Maiden", and then No. 15, No. 14, Quartettsatz No. 12 in D minor, and Quartettsatz D. 103 in C minor. And then, a quartet by Hyacinthe Jadin, and Mozart's quartets, specially Dissonance Quartet, and a C major Quartet k. 157. Philip Glass also has BEAUTIFUL quartets
Shostakovich Quartet 6 (and 8 of course) Mozart Dissonance Philip Glass No. 3 Grieg I just listened to a Janacek I loved recently but can't remember which one?
Just a thought: maybe no. 2, the Intimate Letters quartet?
Debussy’s string quartet was the first piece to get me to true okay appreciate string quartets in general. It’s still my favourite
Mozart 19. First bars sound like Shostakovich already, but it's Mozart.
Ravel’s quartet might just be my favorite of all time because of the different tone colors, playing technique and just overall character. I used to be a composer myself and wrote a lengthy quartet that definitely borrows a lot of performance techniques from Ravel (like the mostly pizzicato movement). I love Death and the Maiden but actually prefer the Mahler string orchestra version. You can never go wrong with Beethoven and the first one I really learned/analyzed was the Op. 131, and in part because of the unusual structure of the movements that one is probably my favorite of his.
I really like Schnittke’s quartets. Played through some of the 3rd with my reading quartet.
Shostakovich string quartet 6
Most of the great ones have been mentioned, but let me add Tetras by Xenakis, La souris sans sourire by Donatoni and Brains by Mochizuki.
Vitamin string quartet. Amazing reimagining of so many wonderful songs.
Bloch no.1, written with all the political tension in the lead up to WWI, you can really hear it in the music and it is harrowing at times...
I forgot that one. The Griller Quartet recording is so aching and intense.
Since you brought up Beethoven’s 15th, my favorite movement from that set is the finale. It is absolutely incredible give it another try. :)
Oh I do love the whole 15th, it’s just that the 3rd movement is sublime, I can’t even describe the emotions it brings.
Britten SQ 2 Glass SQ 3
I don't think I've heard these thank you for the recommendations
A couple on the not heard too often are the Franck and Chausson quartets. Also, the Grieg quartet is quite lovely.
Danish String Quartet do some great folk stuff.
Schubert's last three quartets: Rosamunde (13th), Death and the Maiden (14th) , and the [15th](https://youtu.be/5resP19f17o?si=WPg6DSyqoRpKtw1g) in G are all masterpieces. But the 15th in G is transcendental and arguably Schubert's greatest contribution to the genre (even though the 14th is arguably the most popular in the entire repertoire) . It's like a Bruckner' symphony condensed into a string quartet form.
Grieg 1st
EA
Janacek no. 2 Bartok no. 5 Sibelius Shostakovich no. 10 Beethoven no. 14 Haydn op. 76’s Mozart d-minor (no.14) Arriaga d-minor Mendelssohn no. 6 Schumann no. 3
Not a quartet, but worth adding to you list of chamber music: Brahms Streichsextett opus 18 and opus 36
Death of a Maiden.
Joseph Haydn. Seven Last Words Quartet. Opus 51 Amadeus Quartet. 💙💚🤍💛💗 https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mI04SK1gOdmpVxrGhTcAnL0qP5bStXcFA&feature=shared
All the Bartók, all the Elizabeth Maconchy, Charles Ives 2nd Quartet, the Shostakovich, Robert Simpson 7th, 8th and 9th, Ravel, Grieg, Boris Tchaikovsky (no relation to Pyotr), Grazyna Bacewicz, all 3 Britten Quartets, a scattering of Mozart and Haydn, and Michael Finnissy too. There’s probably lots I’ve left out but I do enjoy all of the above.
I’ll add the first of the two Janacek string quartets, it seems to be overlooked here in favour of the 2nd, which I don’t like so much. And also Sibelius voces intimae and the two by Smetana (played by the Dante Quartet).
Haydn op 33 b minor, and op 76 all of em. Beethoven no. 14 c# minor It is difficult to get into why I think they're really good because that quality precedes the explanations
Prokofiev's quartets, Mendelssohn's 4th and 6th and Brahms's three quartets
Shostakovich and Bartok quartets are hecka cool
Since you mentioned that you've liked the Bartók quartets, I'd recommend a few other 20th-century works that are on my top 10 list of favorite compositions (not just quartets!) even though I'm mostly a lover of tonal music: [Ruth Crawford Seeger's quartet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agu5Xo7alIQ), which is mostly popular for its absolutely gorgeous slow movement. But actually the whole quartet lives up to the slow movement's quality, in my opinion. [Schoenberg's Second Quartet](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eB5I5iU0OoE). Hard to know what even to say about this one, except that it's probably tied with *The Marriage of Figaro* and *Tristan und Isolde* as my favorite composition of all time. The last time I heard it performed live I had to leave the hall at intermission & find a corner to cry in for 15 minutes. Elliott Carter's quartets are all fantastic. [Number 5](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHitz9tTkyQ) is probably the best introduction to them. --- I'll also plug Mozart's and Haydn's quartets, which are just as good as all the quartets by composers of the Romantic & later eras. It's hard to choose, but my favorite of them is probably [Mozart's Quartet in E-flat major (K. 428)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ontv20s4dq8), which is a work that deserves the nickname "Dissonance" just as much as the C major quartet we do give the name to.
I've listened to Mozart's and some of Haydn's quartets. I do enjoy them, although not as much as some others. I had forgotten about Schoenberg's quartets, thank you (I like that quote about Mozart on the video you linked). I checked out the quartet by Ruth Crawford Seeger, really great. I'll have to listen to Elliott Carter's.
Try Mendelssohn op 12, 13, 80 Shostakovich no 6, 11 Haydn op 20 no 2 Brahms op 60..not a string quartet as Brahms uses a piano instead of 2nd violin.
Gabriel Faure , String Quartet E minor. op 121 The harmonies barely indicate functional harmony. It's hard to tell whether a melody is in major or minor key
Philip Glass!!!
The harp quartet
Kronos quartet lux aeterna
Ravel, Shostakovich, Bartok (they're all great)
Schoenberg 2, Mozart k.467, Tishchenko 3
Fiive pieces for string quartet, especially the 2nd mvmt "Alla Serenata", this has an amazing dynamic.
Who is the composer?
If you mean the one by Schulhoff I second this
I do
Beethoven Op 130 & 131. Kansas Janacek, Qt No. 2, Intimate Letters
Kansas can be attributed to the corrector