Vaughan Williams was a late bloomer, evidenced by the fact that most of his popular and more successful compositions came after his 50th birthday. Moreover, as late as 1908, when he was 36, he found it necessary to return to the study of composition. He traveled that year to Paris for lessons with Ravel, after which he produced this G minor String Quartet, a lovely work that contains more than a trace of Ravel's style.

That said, the first movement may exude Debussy more than Ravel. Marked Allegro moderato, it is largely subdued and features lyrical themes, the first introduced by the viola and divulging that Debussyian influence, and the second, marked Tranquillo, showing a mixture of French elements. The second movement (Minuet and Trio: Tempo di menuetto) has something of Vaughan Williams' own earthy humor, while containing strains of Ravel.

The third movement (Romance: Andante sostenuto) is an attractive mixture of the two styles once more, this time yielding a nocturnal intimacy of great beauty. Its middle section is intense and passionate. The finale (Rondo Capriccioso—Allegro molto) contains music that is the most typical of Vaughan Williams. Here, the rhythmic vigor has a folksy bounce and the themes, while not completely free of French flavors, are recognizably products of Vaughan Williams' imagination. The driving energy only briefly subsides for the fugato middle section, and the work ends in a blaze of virtuosic color. This is a solid, if derivative composition, well worth greater exposure.

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