Antonín Dvořák

String Quartet No. 3 (Dvořák)

At over an hour's duration, Dvořák's String Quartet No. 3 in D major B. 18 is the longest of his compositions for this medium. It was written early in his career, probably at some stage in the years

Background#

The String Quartet No. 3 was one of three (Nos. 2, 3, and 4) which Dvořák believed he had destroyed after he had disposed of the scores, having been written early in his composing career. The exact date of this one cannot be ascertained, but all three were composed during the years 1868 to 1870, with the completion of No. 4 given as December 1870. It received its first performance by the Dvorak Quartet, at the Rudolfinum, Prague, on 12 January 1969.

Structure#

String Quartet No. 3 in D major, B. 18 is in four movements, as follows: Typical performances take between 65 and 70 minutes.

Recordings#

The first recording was in 1976 by the Prague String Quartet for Deutsche Grammophon. which was reissued on CD by Rockport Records. However, another source indicates that this recording was of the quartet now numbered 10.

Composer: Antonín Dvořák