Dvorák's first and somewhat unassuming contribution to the piano quartet genre was composed in just eighteen days (May 24 - June 10, 1875) after he heard the news that he had been awarded the Austrian State Prize. Being first and foremost a string player, he had some difficulty in writing sympathetically for the keyboard, and as a result, he treated the instrument in a rather superficial manner. Yet the Quartet also shows that he was rapidly maturing in skill, craftsmanship and overall power of expression.

The first movement's graceful main theme wafts from D into B major in just the tenth bar, and from there the material unfolds gradually. The development is somewhat unsubstantial, partly marred by the transposition en bloc of a whole score of bars, without any significant changes being made. The movement's two main themes are combined grandioso in the coda.

The second movement, a short set of variations on an simple, plaintive, cantabile theme in B minor is delightfully naive, giving little indication of Dvorák's sophisticated command of the form as shown in the Symphonic Variations of just two years later. In the third variation Dvorák inverts the melody while in the fourth, he allows the tonality to veer between E flat major and B minor. A certain valedictory character distinguishes the coda, owing in part to the chromatically-tinged harmony of the theme.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Quartet is the way in which the flowing third movement, Allegro scherzando (3/8), and the finale, an Allegro agitato (4/4), are daringly blended into one another. The scherzo unfolds in a folksy manner, with lilting melodies and a rippling accompaniment. In contrast, the poorly integrated Allegro compares less favorably.

The Piano Quartet in D major had its premiere in Prague on December 16, 1875.

© Brian Wise, All Music Guide