Beethoven Quartetto d'archi n. 10 in mi bemolle maggiore “L'Arpa”, op. 74

Beethoven's Quartetto n. 10 in E♭ maggiore, nicknamed The Harp, was published in 1809. The nickname refers to the pizzicato sections in the first movement, where pairs of members of the Quartetto alternate arpeggio notes, reminiscent of the plucking of a harp. Like most nicknames for Beethoven's works, this was created by the publisher. The Harp Quartetto parallels many facets of the 5th Sinfonia: the geroic quality pervading Beethoven's Middle Period is heard extensively in the first movement.