Sonata
Theme (D-minor, the "5ths")
Counter theme
Notes
The quartet derives its name "the 5ths" from 4-note motive which is the main theme of the 1st movement. It's importance is this movement is monumental: it is both the main and essentially only theme of this monothematic sonata, and it is a terse motive that saturates the texture of the entire movement, appearing in a wide variety of permutations common to learned counterpoint: rectus, inversion, dimminution, augmentation, etc. Annette Oppermann, in her notes to a Sony recording of Op. 76, counts more than 80 occurances of the motive. Berger adds that, because the motive is a minor variant of one familiar through chimes, clocks and bells, this quartet has also carries the nickname "The Bells".
Minor mode: severe, dark, intense. Again, though labelled as a D-minor quartet, this quartet shifts modality within and across movements, spanning a larger key range for a broader tonality. The 2nd movement is premoninatly in D-major and a contrast of modality is central to its nature. The 3rd movement Menuetto returns to the sterness of the minor mode, but, as typical of its ternary nature, reintroduces the brighter major mode in the Trio. The Trio is marvelously fickle in its own right, shifting between major and minor with the mercurial suddeness of the finale in No.1. It is these places where the major and minor fuse so as to feel like two sides of the same coin, a home tonality not a key (Keller). Much like No. 1, the 4th movement of the D-minor quartet seems to wage a final battle between major and minor with an analogous deffered victory etc . . .
The counter theme is in keeping with the rich polyphony of the classic quartet texture. Once introduced,the counter theme assumes great prominance throughout the movement. As such, it might logically be considered a second theme in thie sonata which is otherwise regarded as monothematic.
This is the only Op. 76 quartet in a minor key.