When Dvořák suddenly became internationally famous in 1878 with his Slavonic Dances, he received, among other things, a request for a new string quartet from Jean Becker, the first violinist of the renowned Florentine Quartet. The composer promptly began working in December 1878 and was able to complete the new piece three months later. Dvořák complied in a special way with the wish for a composition in “Slavonic style”: each of the four movements is informed by melodies and rhythms in the style...