Sergei Prokofiev's String Quartet No. 1 in B minor, Op. 50 (1931) was commissioned by the Library of Congress.[1][2] The Quartet was first performed in Washington, D.C., on 25 April 1931 by the Brosa Quartet[3] and in Moscow on 9 October 1931 by the Roth Quartet.[1][2] The string quartet is in three movements, lasting around 20–25 minutes.
The work is distinctive in that its key, B minor, is just a semitone below the limits of the viola and cello range. Another distinctive feature is that the finale is a slow movement, which is highly intense in emotion and full of sweeping melodies.
Prokofiev had liked the finale so much that he transcribed a version of it for string orchestra, as Op. 50a, and included a piano transcription in his pieces as Op. 52.
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