The three Razumovsky (or Rasumovsky) string quartets, opus 59, are the quartets
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
wrote in 1806, as a result of a commission by the
Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count
Andreas Razumovsky:
:*
String Quartet No. 7 in F major, Op. 59, No. 1
:*
String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2
:*
String Quartet No. 9 in C major, Op. 59, No. 3
They are the first three of what are usually known as the "Middle Period" string quartets, or simply the "Middle Quartets." The other two are
opus 74 and
opus 95. Many quartets record all five as a set.
Beethoven uses a characteristically Russian theme in the first two quartets in honour of the prince who gave him the commission:
* In Op. 59 No. 1, the "Thème russe" (as the score is marked) is the principal theme of the last movement.
* In Op. 59 No. 2, the Thème russe is in the B section of the third movement. This theme is based on a Russian folk song which was also utilised by
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky ( rus, link=no, Модест Петрович Мусоргский, Modest Petrovich Musorgsky , mɐˈdɛst pʲɪˈtrovʲɪtɕ ˈmusərkskʲɪj, Ru-Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky version.ogg; – ) was a Russian compo ...
in the coronation scene of his opera
''B