String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op.135 (parts) by Ludwig van Beethoven
Urtext edition by Rainer Cadenbach. Published by Henle
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was the most influential and admired composer of the Romantic Era, and is considered today to be among the greatest composers of classical music to ever live. His music is known variously for its compositional rigor, sublime beauty, organic development, gripping urgency, and life-affirming, universal humanism. He left a significant mark on almost every classical genre he worked in, from string quartets to symphonies.
Beethoven's cycle of sixteen string quartets spans his entire compositional career and is often considered to be the most significant ever composed. His six late period quartets (Nos.12-16 and the Grosse Fuge) were his return to the form after a 10-year absence and his last major completed works, reaching a zenith of expression, complexity, and originality in his output. No. 16 in F Major, Op.135 is the shortest of his late quartets; it is also his final entry in the genre. As in many of his compositions, the struggle with and heroic triumph over fate is a possible theme-suggested by the markings ''Must it be?'' / ''It must be!'' written on the blazing finale. Yet elsewhere, the quartet is a remarkably playful and sunny work. This Henle urtext edition is edited by Ranier Cadenbach. Parts only. Master level, grade 6.
