In March 1824 Franz Schubert completed “Death and the Maiden, D810, one of the most extraordinary string quartets ever written, a monument of poignant intensity...

In March 1824 Franz Schubert completed “Death and the Maiden, D810, one of the most extraordinary string quartets ever written, a monument of poignant intensity and ineffable tension, full of grandeur and discretion, inspiring admiration and emotion in his listener. The quartet is so-called because of the variations on the song Der Tod das Mädchen, D.531, as its slow movement; the title is not therefore simply a label that has been added arbitrarily. Schubert’s tenth String Quartet, op. 125, written when the composer was sixteen (1813), is a work exuding happiness and serenity.