Dissonance Quartet

Dissonance Quartet, string quartet (a type of chamber music for two violins, viola, and cello) in four movements by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was completed on January 14, 1785, and it was noted especially for its divergence—especially in the slow introduction—from the then-standard rules of harmony.

The Dissonance Quartet is the last of a set of six string quartets—the others are K 387, 421, 428, 458, and 464—that were dedicated to the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn and inspired by Haydn’s Op. 33, itself a set of six string quartets. Taken together, Mozart’s six are known as the Haydn Quartets (written 1782–85).

Although legends persist regarding Mozart’s rivalries with other composers, he established a friendship with Haydn that was untainted by envy and characterized by mutual admiration. Haydn asserted to Mozart’s father,

I tell you, before God and as an honest man, that your son is the greatest composer known to me, either in person or by name. He has taste, and, what is more, a most thorough knowledge of composition.

Mozart, for his part, spoke equally highly of Haydn in his dedication:

Your good opinion encourages me to offer the[se string quartets] to you, and leads me to hope that you will not consider them wholly unworthy of your favour. Please, then, receive them kindly and be to them a father, guide, and friend!

The movements of Mozart’s quartet are “Adagio, allegro,” “Andante cantabile,” “Menuetto, allegretto,” and “Allegro molto.” The first movement, which is the source of the piece’s nickname, is in sonata form, and it opens with a sombre “dissonant” passage that suddenly gives way to an animated ascending four-note figure that forms the main theme. The lyrical second movement—the nature of which is indicated by the term cantabile (Italian: “singing”)—is also in sonata form. In the third movement, a minuet and trio, a chromatic theme is introduced by the first violin and then taken up by the other players. The fourth movement, which returns to sonata form, is lively and spirited.