on the quartet in C minor. Structurally and thematically, the first movement of the C minor quartet bears a strong resemblance to Schubert's Quartettsatz, D. 703, also in C minor. Structure The "terse", "tragic" String Quartet No. 1 in C minor is remarkable for its organic unity and for the harmonically sophisticated, "orchestrally inclined" outer movements that bracket its more intimate inner movements. The quartet consists of four movements: The String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, also highly unified thematically, is comparatively lyrical, although culminating in a dramatic and propulsive finale whose tension "derives...from a metrical conflict between theme and accompaniment." Like Brahms's Piano Quartet No. 1 and Violin Concerto, the A minor quartet has a final movement modeled on a Hungarian folk dance, in this case a czárdás. The quartet consists of four movements: With all the movements in A minor or A major, the String Quartet No. 2 is therefore homotonal. Each quartet lasts about half an hour in performance. Critical reception The Op. 51 string quartets were received "respectfully if without great enthusiasm" at their respective premieres in October and December 1873. While the quartets have enjoyed less popularity than some of Brahms's other chamber music, they helped revitalize "the great but moribund tradition" of the string quartet that had stagnated after Beethoven and Schubert, and helped inspire the quartets of Arnold Schoenberg, Béla Bartók, and other twentieth century composers. In his famous essay "Brahms the Progressive", Schoenberg praised the quartets for their advanced harmony and for the unprecedented completeness with which Brahms derives each movement from a tiny motif. The Op. 51 quartets have been recorded by many ensembles including the Amadeus Quartet, Quartetto Italiano, Alban Berg Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, Tokyo String Quartet, Emerson Quartet, Chiara String Quartet and Takács Quartet. References Further reading Musgrave, Michael (1999). The Cambridge Companion to Brahms, Cambridge University Press. Pascall, Robert (2008). Brahms: Biographical, Documentary and Analytical Studies, Cambridge University Press. Stowell, Robin, ed. (2003). The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet, Cambridge University Press. Wilson, Conrad (2006). Notes on Brahms: 20 Crucial Works, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. External links Performance of String Quartet No. 1 by the Borromeo String Quartet from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format Performance of String Quartet No. 2 by the Jupiter String Quartet from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in MP3 format String quartet Brahms 51 1873 compositions Compositions in