Beethoven's string quartets form one of the most intimate and revealing sections of his output, giving a full and varied picture of his musical personality. This study of the quartets, first published by Hutchinson University in 1965, was reissued by Cambridge University Press in 1978. Each work is examined in detail describing the development of Beethoven's style--a method that highlights the very strong individuality that remained unimpaired throughout the composition of these quartets. They are compared with Beethoven's other music and with the string quartets of composers before and since.