String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18 No. 1
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Composed in 1799-1800 as part of the set of six quartets Op. 18 — Beethoven's first major foray into the string quartet medium — the First Quartet in F major is actually the last of the six to be composed, though it was placed first in the published set. It is among the most ambitious and demanding of the Op. 18 quartets: the first movement's compact, motifically driven sonata form recalls the craftsmanship of Haydn while already hinting at the compressed dramatic intensity of the later quartets; the Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato — reputedly inspired by the tomb scene in Romeo and Juliet — is one of the most deeply moving slow movements Beethoven had yet written; and the finale displays an irresistible forward drive. The quartet established Beethoven as a master of the medium alongside Haydn.
Editions
Henle Verlag
Paul Mies, 1974
Critical Urtext edition based on autograph and first edition; the standard scholarly and performing text for professional ensembles.
Bärenreiter
Jonathan Del Mar, 2005
New critical edition from the Beethoven Complete Works with comprehensive source commentary and notation revisions.
Edition Peters
Wilhelm Altmann, 1911
Practical performing edition that remained the standard text for much of the 20th century; some editorial markings now considered anachronistic.