Penderecki's String Quartet No. 1 (1960) is a sonic study utilizing the entire range of traditional string techniques (arco, pizzicato, con sordino, sul ponticello, col legno, col legno battuta, senza vibrato) together with several developed by the composer: glissandi on trills, very rapid non-rhythmic tremolo, playing an indefinite highest possible pitch, playing between the bridge and tailpiece, playing on the tailpiece, striking strings with palm of hand, very slow vibrato with microtonal intervals, and others. The quartet was written quickly, within the span of a few days, and was premiered by the famous LaSalle Quartet in Cincinnati in May 1962.

Most of the score does not call for specific pitches, but rather for general pitch ranges. The work unfolds in measures of equal duration (one second each).

At the beginning, trills that begin on specific pitches "slide" in progressively wider glissandi. Percussive sounds, effected by hitting the strings with the wood of the bow, harsh pizzicatos, etc., are then played with dramatic abandon in quasi-random fashion. This gradually develops into a section of fast tremolos, followed by a brief pause. Long-held notes lead into tone clusters, marked by pizzicato glissandi. Quiet tones played near the bridge (sul ponticello) and harmonics are followed by a return of the percussive sounds. The work ends with high mysterious tones.

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