String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 11

Quick Facts

• Composed in 1871
• Tchaikovsky’s first string quartet, organized into four movements:
  1. Moderato e simplice (D Major)
  2. Andante cantabile (Bb Major)
  3. Scherzo. Allegro non tanto e con fuoco (D minor)
  4. Finale. Allegro giusto (D Major)
• Dedicated to Sergey Rachinsky, a friend of the composer
• Premiered in 1872 in Moscow’s Assembly of the Nobility¹

About the Piece

• The piece was written to make some money rather than from creative impulse. Tchaikovsky was low on income at the time and decided to organize a concert of his own chamber music (since chamber ensembles were cheaper to hire than full orchestras).
  • Nonetheless, the second movement, “Andante cantabile,” has become a beloved staple of chamber repertoire.
• The first theme of the “Andante cantabile” movement is from a Ukrainian folk song, “Vanya sat on the sofa,” about an intoxicated peasant daydreaming about his love.
  • Leo Tolstoy was known to have been especially taken by this movement of the piece and burst into tears the first time he heard it.²
• Several other themes from the work are reminiscent of folksong.³
• Fun fact – chamber music represents only a tiny percentage of Tchaikovsky’s total musical output.⁴

1. “String Quartet No.1, Op.11 (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr),” IMSLP, accessed July 5, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/String_Quartet_No.1%2C_Op.11_(Tchaikovsky%2C_Pyotr).
2. Meg Ryan, “String Quartet No. 1,” L. A. Phil, accessed July 5, 2023, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/3677/string-quartet-no-1.
3. Andrea Lamoreaux, Notes in accompanying booklet, Tchaikovsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 and 3 performed by the Vermeer Quartet, Cedille Records 90000 056, 2001, compact disc.
4. Meg Ryan, “String Quartet No. 1,” L. A. Phil.