Bohuslav Martinu composed his great String Quartet No. 5 under trying personal and political circumstances. Composed in 1938, the work was conceived in Paris after a trip to the composers' native Czechoslovakia convinced him that the political climate there was seriously worsening. Works written around this time include his Double Concerto for two string orchestras, piano, and timpani, Concerto Grosso, and the well-known Field Mass of 1939. The works of this period have been noted for their great intensity and sense of nationalism. Of the Double Concerto, biographer Brian Large has remarked that it appeared to have been engraved with the very horrors of war. The present string quartet shares a special affinity to the works of this period.

Prior to his life in Paris, Martinu had attended classes at the Prague Conservatory, taught music in Policka (his place of birth), and played in the second violin section of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Always a prolific composer, Martinu produced works for practically every medium. In 1924, Martinu obtained a scholarship to study music in Paris, and there he stayed for seventeen years. French composer Albert Roussel played a decisive role in the composers' development, and in no time, Martinu had made a reputation for himself in musical and artistic circles. In spite of his French connections, Martinu continued to be strongly inspired by Czech folklore and remained very nationalistic. Blacklisted by the Nazis, the composer left Paris in June 1940. Therefore, the String Quartet No. 5 stands out as one of the composers' last works from the Paris days. His next string quartet (number six) would appear eight years later, composed on another continent, and under more favorable circumstances.

Martinu's String Quartet No. 5 was dedicated to the then prestigious Pro Arte Quartet of Belgium. For years, it had been thought that the work was lost, but in 1955, the parts resurfaced. Since then, the quartet has been recorded and performed numerous times. The quartet is in four movements and is discussed briefly.

Biographer Milos Safranek has remarked that the String Quartet No. 5 is a work of strong personal experience, filled with urgent and even tragic music ... anticipating Martinu's other works ... (of that period). The first movement, Allegro ma non troppo, contains a motif reminiscent of a motif found in Martinu's Double Concerto. The broad lyric melody that follows is peculiarly Czech, conceived in ABA form. The second movement, Adagio, also appears to contain elements of the Double Concerto, particularly in its sense of longing and pathos.

The very lively third movement, Allegro Vivo consists of an impassioned scherzo, noted for its boldness and wit. Safranek has described this movement as being a grotesquerie. The final movement is in two sections, begining with the long, slow Lento part, and proceding into the lively Allegro section. The unusually long slow introduction has been described by some as tragic, which then leads into a more reflective Adagio section. The ending Allegro section is passionate, robust, and ends with a bounding enthusiasm.

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