The fourth is organ-like in treatment, whilst the final one starts on a boisterous scamper home, which ends, however, in a melancholy, dreamy meditation. The _Finale_ is Mozartian. 6th QUARTET, Opus 18, No. 6, in B flat. _Allegro con brio--Adagio ma non troppo--Scherzo--La Malinconia--Allegretto quasi Allegro._ This favourite quartet, composed in 1800, has five movements; whereas the fourth quartet has no slow movement. The arrangement of the five movements seems to suggest some sort of carefully-arranged "programme;" but woe always overtook the man who dared to attach a definite story to any of the music in these pieces in Beethoven's lifetime. The opening movement, full of vitality, and asks for _spiccato_ bowing. It is very light in texture. The first _Adagio_ is full of graceful tunefulness, somewhat elaborate in texture, and containing many characteristic touches of expression; so too, does the _Scherzo_. The second slow movement _Adagio_, entitled by Beethoven _La Malinconia_ (grief), is one of Beethoven's most moving pieces of music. Knowing here that he was entering into new territory, he especially marks such movements to be played with the greatest feeling _più gran delicatezza_. This movement runs directly into the final _Allegretto_, which indeed returns to it twice, as though unable to throw off completely the bitter taste of those sad moments. 7th QUARTET, Opus 59, No. 1, in F. No. 1 of the set dedicated to Count Rasumovsky. _Allegro--Allegretto Vivace e sempre Scherzando--Adagio molto e mesto--Thème russe con Variazioni._ This fine but difficult quartet, sometimes called the Cello Quartet on account of the prominence given to this instrument, was written in 1806. The Count himself is supposed to have played the cello, and the set of variations on the Russian song used for the _Finale_ was a second compliment to Beethoven's noble Russian patron. Beethoven took his theme from the Prabst collection, 1815, which is not now published, having been superseded by Rimsky-Korsakoff's fine collection. The theme is found there (No. 13) marked _Andante_ and the Russian words may be translated-- Ah, is this my fate? And what a fate! The technique and the subject matter is very much more advanced. The first movement contains a remarkable unison passage for the full strings, some remarkable high work for the 1st violin and some wonderful colour effects. The _Allegretto_ is a busy, gossipy movement in B flat. The _Adagio molto_ is a typical Beethoven _Adagio_. It is the real thing. It runs into the Finale through a long and difficult cadenza for the 1st Violin over a dominant pedal. The ending of the quartet contains some very full effects and is almost orchestral in style. 8th QUARTET, Opus 59, No. 2, in E minor. _Allegro--Adagio--Allegretto--Finale._