Nielsen's F major String Quartet of 1906 is the most perfectly wrought and original of his essays in that genre. Originally numbered Opus 19, it underwent extensive revision and reemerged as Opus 44, being published as such in 1923. Working in a medium in which he was almost as comfortable as that of the symphony, Nielsen drew on his own experience as a string player as well as his individualism in approaching the traditional to crown his series in that form.

Nielsen's penchant for unusual but very apt tempo indications is illustrated in the original one for the first movement, Allegro piacevolo ed indolente. Although he subsequently replaced this with the more conventional designation Allegro tanta e comodo, a feeling of contented indolence pervades, spiritually akin to the second movement of the Second Symphony. Despite this overall mood, a constant spring water-like flow is maintained throughout. The following slow movement in C is chorale-like and weaves in and out of the relative A minor. That key pervades the following movement, Allegro moderato ed innocente; it is in the easy wry canter which Nielsen favored over the true, boisterous scherzo for his humorous movements, saving energy for the outer ones. This is true in the case of the ensuing finale, which returns to the classical ideal of a light and festive conclusion rather that an apotheosis. In it the winsome spirit of Maskarade, the composer's 1906 opera, abounds; this is particularly felt in the good-natured second theme. Throughout the four movements, Nielsen's understanding of string writing, already impressive in his works from the late 1880s, reaches perfection here in his achieving the maximum color and expressiveness from limited resources.

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