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Borodin: String Quartet No. 2
String quartet · about 28–31 minutes

Borodin: String Quartet No. 2 in D

Warm, melodic and rewarding for a confident amateur group. The cello and first violin get the big tunes, but nobody is left with dull parts.
Advanced
For 2 violins, viola and cello
Players
2 violins, viola and cello
Difficulty
Advanced, judged by the hardest part
Length
About 28–31 minutes
Written
1881, at Zhitovo, Russia
Also known as
Quartet No. 2 in D major · Notturno · Nocturne
Free parts
Score and parts on IMSLP

Part by part

The piece is rated by its hardest part. Here is how each part compares, so a group can see who will need to practise most.
Violin 1
Shares the main melodies with the cello, often high on the E string, and has quick passages in the scherzo and finale.
Advanced
Violin 2
Mostly accompaniment, with soft, even figures in the Notturno. Rarely exposed, but needs control at a quiet dynamic.
Intermediate
Viola
Inner harmony and rhythm, with occasional melodic answers. Comfortable for an experienced amateur.
Intermediate
Cello
Opens the Notturno with its famous melody, high and singing, then plays it in a tight canon, with the first violin following just behind. A real solo part in places.
Advanced

The movements

I. Allegro moderato. Relaxed and lyrical, with melodies passed between cello and first violin. Moderato: don’t rush it.
II. Scherzo. Allegro. Light and quick, with a catchy second theme (the one Kismet borrowed). Needs a light bow from everyone.
III. Notturno. Andante. The cello sings the tune over a quiet accompaniment; a more restless middle section leads back to the tune as a canon with the first violin.
IV. Finale. Andante – Vivace. A short, slow introduction, then a busy, bustling Vivace with lots of back-and-forth between parts. The hardest to keep together.

Reading it together for the first time

Start with the Notturno: it is slow, many players already know the tune, and it makes a satisfying first play-through.
Agree on the accompaniment dynamic in the Notturno before you start; the cello melody should never have to push.
Free scores and parts are on IMSLP, including the Belaieff edition of 1894. Use one edition for all four parts.
The whole quartet is about half an hour, so a two-hour session leaves time to work on the scherzo and finale.

About the piece

Borodin wrote this quartet quickly in the summer of 1881, while staying at Zhitovo, the country estate of his friend Nikolai Lodyzhensky. He dedicated it to his wife, Ekaterina, and it is thought to recall the time they first met, in Heidelberg in 1861. It was first played in St. Petersburg on February 7, 1882.
The scherzo comes second, before the slow movement. The third movement is the Notturno, whose melody was turned into the song “And This Is My Beloved” in the 1953 musical Kismet, and a tune from the scherzo became “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” in the same show.

Hear it live

No performances in New York, Boston, the Bay Area or Los Angeles on our listings right now. We update them every week.

What to play next

Dvořák · String Quartet in F, Op. 96 “American”
Same level and just as melodic, with a big viola opening.
Advanced
Tchaikovsky · String Quartet No. 1 in D, Op. 11
Same level, also Russian and in D major, with the famous “Andante cantabile”.
Advanced
Dvořák · Cypresses
An easier warm-up for the same group: short, lyrical pieces.
Intermediate
Smetana · String Quartet No. 1 “From My Life”
The step up in Romantic quartets, more demanding for the first violin.
Very demanding
More in the full list by difficulty, or browse:
String quartetsViolinViolaCello

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Levels are Rhapsodate’s own rough guide, not an exam grade. Facts checked 2026-10-03 against:
IMSLP: movements, Belaieff edition (1894), free parts
Wikipedia: composition at Zhitovo, dedication, the scherzo tune in Kismet
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: summer 1881, Heidelberg, first performance, the Notturno and Kismet, length
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