The String Quartet No. 21 in D Major, K. 575, was written in June 1789 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...

. It has acquired the nickname The Violet. It is the first of the Prussian Quartet

Prussian Quartets (Mozart)

The Prussian Quartets are a set of three string quartets, nos. 21–23 , nicknamed 'Prussian', composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart between 1789-90 and dedicated to the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II. Although not considered on a par with the earlier, more famous 'Haydn Quartets' The Prussian...

s.

There are four movements:

1. Allegretto, in D major
2. Andante
3. Menuetto: Allegretto
4. Allegretto in D major

The quartet was written for and dedicated to the King of Prussia, Friedrich Wilhelm II

Frederick William II of Prussia

Frederick William II was the King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. He was in personal union the Prince-Elector of Brandenburg and the sovereign prince of the Principality of Neuchâtel.-Early life:...

, an amateur cellist, and was written in a similar style to the quartets of Joseph Haydn

Joseph Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn , known as Joseph Haydn , was an Austrian composer, one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He is often called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet" because of his important contributions to these forms...

. Mozart and his friend Karl Lichnowsky met the king in Potsdam

Potsdam

Potsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. It is situated on the River Havel, southwest of Berlin city centre....

 in April 1789. Mozart played before the king in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 on 26 May 1789, then returned to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

.

This string quartet is a popular piece in the repertoire today. It is a piece written at the zenith of Mozart's powers as a chamber music composer. It is considered to be in a more relaxed style than the six quartets dedicated to Haydn

Haydn Quartets (Mozart)

The "Haydn" Quartets by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are a set of six string quartets published in 1785 in Vienna, dedicated to the composer Joseph Haydn. They are considered to be the pinnacle of Classical string quartet writing, containing some of Mozart's most memorable melodic writing and refined...

, this quartet features appealing melodies and the most rewarding and challenging music for the cello. A typical performance lasts around 24 minutes.