When his musical triad op. 192 was created in the winter of 1873/74, Raff was one of Germany’s most successful composers and the central artistic authority in the Hessian spa, royal residence and imperial city of Wiesbaden. With op. 192, Raff cultivated his reputation as an erudite composer who was a master of contrapuntal forms.

By the time the string quartets were composed, he had already established himself as one of the most prolific and versatile suite composers of the 19th century, as i...