Quartet in F, Opus 18, no. 1

Quartet in F, Opus 18, no. 1

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770- 1827

SATB Saxophone Quartet

Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1 by Beethoven – string quartet transcription for SATB Saxophone Quartet. The String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 18, No. 1, was written between 1798 and 1800 and published in 1801. It is actually the second string quartet that Beethoven composed. His D major quartet (Op. 18 No. 3) was written first. This quartet may have been placed first in the published set because it was the most impressive in terms of size and expressive range. According to a friend of Beethoven’s, the second movement was inspired by the tomb scene from William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The quartet consists of four movements:

1. Allegro con brio
2. Adagio affettuoso ed appassionato
3. Scherzo: Allegro molto
4. Allegro

This string quartet transcription for SATB Saxophone Quartet is of the complete work and is in the original keys. The soprano and alto parts extend into the altissimo range but alternate transpositions are provided.

• The range for each saxophone part is shown below.
• Brief score samples and audio samples of each movement are available above.
• Registered users my download a full length audio file and complete sample score of the Beethoven String Quartet # 1 in F.

View all the string quartet transcriptions available from SAXpress.