Quartet In C Minor, Op. 51, No. 1

Originally published in 1873 when Brahms was 40. He reputedly had destroyed twenty prior quartets as being unworthy of an heir to Beethoven's throne. ("You have no idea how a man like myself feels when he constantly sees a giant like Beethoven behind him.") Instrumentation: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon