Michael Tippett's love for the string quartet stemmed from his obsession with Beethoven's string quartets; indeed, in all of his quartets, Tippett emulates Beethoven in both form and expressivity. The opening movement of Tippett's String Quartet No. 1 (1935) is in sonata-allegro form; its two main themes each end with a cello solo. The solo at the end of the first movement leads directly into the lyricism of the second, wherein all four instruments engage in a Romantic fantasy. The third movement, a fugue, begins with the subject stated in octaves. The first episode is carried by a solo violin; eventually, the texture thickens to encompass all four players. The work's rhythmic vitality is a hallmark of Tippett's style, as is the profusion of counterpoint.

The first version of the String Quartet No. 1 was first performed by the Brosa Quartet in 1935; the revised, final version, was premiered by the Zorian Quartet in 1943. The quartet is dedicated to Wilfred Franks.



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