Favourite/essential string quartets?

I am trying to finish a quartet I started last semester. I've only finished one movement and am currently looking into more string quartets for inspiration on idiomatic writing.

I've looked into some such as Bart

I really love some string quartets by Haydn, Beethoven (especially the late ones, like opus 130 with the great fugue (!), 131 (!), and 132), Janacek, Webern, Bartok, and Kurtag. In terms of inspiration, I might say Kurtag (for example the 12 microludes for string quartet).

This reminded me that I haven't listened to the Janacek quartets for a long time, which I will change right now!

Haydn op. 20 No. 5 in Fm and Beethoven Op. 18 (I believe) in Cm. Both of those are amazing.

Oh, I second those two!

I was going to say Ravel but you'd already mentioned it. Borodin and Debussy are also worth listening to:

Amazon.co.uk: Debussy; Dutilleux; Ravel - String Quartets: Music: Claude Debussy,Henri Dutilleux,Maurice Ravel,Belcea Quartet

^ This is a great CD BTW!

Amazon.co.uk: Borodin - String Quartets: Amazon.co.uk:: Alexander Porfir'yevich Borodin

if you like Ravel's, check out some Shostkovich

Well...just because I'd like to play too, I'll suggest (what I consider) some string quartet works from one of the more interesting/creative/innovative composers out there. John Zorn's string quartets are fantastic - though, not for everybody. Some very hip modern writing... Dig Cat O' Nine Tails - it's special.

Perhaps not essential, but some of my favorites.

:whistling: