Antonín Dvorák's Five Bagatelles, Op. 47, in addition to two violins and cello, make use of the harmonium, a reed-type organ that was perfected around 1842. Although the harmonium is not commonly heard today, it was popular in the middle to later part of the nineteenth century. Dvorák wrote the Bagatelles in 1878. Around the time, he was playing a lot of chamber music with close friends. One of these, Josef Srb-Debrnov, owned a harmonium, and speculation is that Dvorák omitted the viola part (his own instrument) and played the harmonium instead.

Bagatelles are short pieces usually heard in sets, and Dvorák wrote his as a group of five. The first bagatelle is an Allegretto Scherzando in a minor key. It is spirited and full of contrasts of mood as it slips back and forth from minor into major. The harmonium functions in this movement as a bass part while the cello part, typically the "bass" of most quartets, functions as a middle part by playing moving pizzicato lines. The violins have the melody and harmony, which is rich and melancholy, although the cello does occasionally mirror the melodic lines of the upper instruments. The harmonium is the least "present," simply serving to create an overall texture, as it does through much of the five pieces. It is not until the very end that the harmonium has a brief solo, closing out the movement.

The second bagatelle is lyrical and flowing, less dance-like than the first bagatelle. It is marked in the tempo of a minuet (Grazioso), but sounds more rich and lush, less delicate, than a usual minuet.

The third bagatelle hearkens back to the first bagatelle with the same main theme, but there are darker-sounding twists and turns, making it dramatically different from its predecessor. It is rhythmically livelier and contains stormier contrasts to the main theme.

The fourth is a canon with an Andante con moto marking. The pastoral-type melody, which gets passed from instrument to instrument, is similar in many ways to so many of Dvorák's other andante melodies, particularly the American Quartet and the Symphony No. 9, "From the New World." This melody has an open and uncomplicated feel that is expanded and elaborated upon, growing in emotion to a high point, then easing back into tranquility.

The final bagatelle is an allegretto that once again uses the theme from the first. This time it is more lighthearted and playful with a feeling that it is quickly moving forward. In addition, it has a contrasting section, making this movement twice as long as the others. Once again, the moods change quickly, not only between the sections, but within them as well. The original theme returns at the end, creating a sense that the bagatelles as a whole have come full-circle.

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