Schubert Quartettsatz, D. 703

The Quartettsatz (Quartet movement in C minor), D. 703 was written by Franz Schubert in 1820. It is the first movement of a twelfth string quartet which Schubert never completed. In addition to the opening movement, Schubert also composed the first forty bars of a second movement marked Andante. As with the later "Unfinished" Symphony, there has been much speculation on why Schubert left the composition incomplete. It has been suggested that he may have left the quartet either because it didn't represent the big leap forward he was striving for. Another idea states that he may have simply abandoned it because, having come up with a very powerful first movement, he was unable to create a suitable second one. Following Schubert's death the manuscript score eventually found its way into the ownership of Johannes Brahms, and the Quartettsatz received its posthumous premiere in 1867 in Vienna, with publication of the score, edited by Brahms, following in 1870.