Andante Appassionato, B40a

Opus number

Burghauser catalogue number

40a

Date of composition

November – December 1873

First edition

Editio Supraphon, 1982, Prague

Main key

A minor

Duration

approx. 6 min.

Andante Appassionato for string quartet was not written as an independent work but was originally part of String Quartet No. 6 in A minor, however, when Dvořák revised the quartet (possibly in 1874), he decided to leave it out. This leisurely piece is somewhat reminiscent of Schubertian Romanticism and fully establishes the composer’s appreciation for the specific sound of the chamber ensemble.