Out of all of Franz Schubert’s string quartets, the String Quartet No. 13 is the only one that was published in the composer’s lifetime.
It is actually a fairly dark work, at least at the beginning, which may or may not be a reflection of Schubert’s mood while composing the piece: at the time, the composer was sick – and miserable from being sick – and the second movement of the piece utilizes a theme from the composer’s failed stage work titled Rosamunde. Because of this, the String Quartet has earned the nickname “Rosamunde.”
This music is also in the key of A-Minor which is, for me, a key of consolation similar to the Beethoven piano sonata #31.
Here is the Hagen Quartet to play this sad music for you:
