String Quintet, Op. 4 (Beethoven) String Quintet, Op. 4 (Beethoven) The String Quintet in E-flat major, Op. 4, was composed by Ludwig van Beethoven in 1795. It was adapted from his Octet in E-flat major, Op. 103, which, despite its high opus number, was in fact composed by Beethoven in 1792/1793 but was published only in 1837, ten years after the composer's death. The Quintet was published in Vienna in 1796. The quintet has been viewed as a mere transcription of the octet. However, there are a few differences between the two works. In the first movement, there are significant changes in the exposition and
String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5 (Boccherini) the viola and celli have eighth note pizzicato. The second violin, on the other hand, has quick sixteenth note slurs which contain many string crossings. As Elisabeth Le Guin puts it in "Boccherini’s Body: An Essay in Carnal Musicology", “The second violinist has no time for "galanterie"; he must concentrate on keeping the constant string crossings reasonable even through the length of the bow”. The arrangements of this quintet, especially of the minuet, are extremely numerous. The entire piece was arranged for a double viola quintet in the 18th century. A 19th century transcription of the minuet for the organ