Though Tchaikovsky wrote his String Quartet No. 3 (1876) at about the same time as his Piano Concerto No. 1 (1874-1875) and the ballet Swan Lake (1875-1816), the chamber work never achieved the popularity of those beloved compositions. Perhaps this is because the quartet is particularly grim music, written in memory of the composer's friend Ferdinand Laub, a violinist who had participated in the premieres of Tchaikovsky's two earlier string quartets.

The elegiac tone is set from the very beginning of the huge first movement, in the two funereal themes of the Andante sostenuto introduction. After this outpouring of grief, the movement's main Allegro moderato is marked by conflict between an impetuous first theme and a more lullaby-like second theme that looks forward to an aria in the last act of Eugene Onegin (1877-1878). The movement is rounded out by a return of the introductory material.

The second movement, Allegretto vivo e scherzando, is a miniature by comparison. The outer sections are anxious and restive, but the middle section smooths things out a bit, with the viola taking a prominent role.

The third movement, a grief-laden Andante funebre e doloroso, is the quartet's heart. The commanding initial chords are followed by a mournful dirge. The repetition of this theme is followed in turn by a bridge passage evoking Russian Orthodox chant, and then a somber second subject. After a brief reappearance of the first theme comes a new tune that is quickly nudged aside by the chant material. This uncharacteristically Russian music dominates the movement until its end.

The bold, invigorating finale eases the tension without recourse to optimism. Both main themes echo the folk music of southern Russia, maintaining a determinedly vigorous pace to the end, save for a brief and shattering reminiscence of the slow movement.

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