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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421/417b is the second of the Quartets dedicated to Haydn and the only one of the set in a minor key. Though undated in the autograph, it is believed to have been completed in 1783, while his wife Constanze Mozart was in labour with her first child Raimund.

Constanze stated that the rising string figures in the second movement corresponded to her cries from the other room. 

It is in four movements:

Allegro moderato
Andante (F major)
Menuetto and Trio (the latter in D major). Allegretto
Allegretto ma non troppo

The first movement is characterized by a sharp contrast between the aperiodicity of the first subject group, characterized by Arnold Schoenberg as "prose-like," and the "wholly periodic" second subject group.In the Andante and the Minuet, "normal expectations of phraseology are confounded."

The main part of the Minuet is in minuet sonata form, while "the contrasting major-mode Trio ... is ... almost embarrassingly lightweight on its own ... [but] makes a wonderful foil to the darker character of the Minuet."The last movement is a set of variations.

Retailers:

iTunes:
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-mozart-project/id1034980035

Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/music/album/The_Mozart_Project_Mozart?id=Batumgqtgiizmmajzp7nun2bawq&hl

Rdio
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Microsoft
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Google Play
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Spotify:
https://play.spotify.com/album/2qTzSNOusiykyFQ21F51mc

Orchestral samples included in this recording from the Vienna Symphonic Library.

Amazon

Quartet No. 15 in D-Minor, K. 421: III. Menuetto, Allegro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - 1756–1791
is unarguably one of the most prolific and notable classical composers of all time. A child prodigy, Mozart was already proficient on the keyboard and violin by the age of five, composing remarkable works and performing before European royalty. At just 17 years old, he was engaged as a musician at the Salzburg court but, driven by ambition and a restless spirit, he embarked on travels to seek better opportunities.

In 1781, while visiting Vienna, Mozart’s dismissal from his Salzburg post marked a turning point in his life. He chose to remain in the imperial capital, where he gained widespread fame but struggled to achieve lasting financial stability. It was during his final years in Vienna that Mozart created many of his most celebrated works, including symphonies, concertos, operas, and the unfinished Requiem.

Over the course of his short but extraordinary life, Mozart composed more than 600 works, spanning symphonic, concertante, chamber, operatic, and choral genres. These masterpieces are recognized as pinnacles of Western art music and continue to inspire audiences and musicians alike. His enduring influence on classical music is profound, solidifying his legacy as one of history’s greatest composers.