String Quartet No. 6 in B Flat Major, Op. 18, No. 6
Beethoven's String Quartet No. 6 was written between 1798-800 and published in 1801. The fourth movement is the crux of the piece and possibly the highlight of Op. 18. Marked Questo pezzo si deve trattare colla più gran delicatezza (this piece is to be played with the greatest delicacy) it develops in three parts, alternating adagio moments with evocations of Vienesse ballroom music.

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. The crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time. Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of the Holy Roman Empire, Beethoven moved to Vienna in his early 20s, studying with Joseph Haydn and quickly gaining a reputation as a virtuoso pianist. His hearing began to deteriorate in the late 1790s, yet he continued to compose, conduct, and perform, even after becoming completely deaf.

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