Dvorak composed two piano quartets, the first in 1875 and the second in the summer of 1889 while Dvorak was at his country residence at Vysoka.
The quartet is modeled on traditional Classical Period forms, however, the harmonic language and loose treatment of formal structure make it a quintessential Romantic Era composition.
Right from the opening of the first movement, Dvorak's chords are not in the home key and take several measures to get there. The themes in the recapitulation are presented in reverse order, and there are unexpected harmonic progressions throughout.
The inner movements are special in that they depict a variety of moods and national folk styles, both Czech and non-Czech. The finale is all over the place harmonically as melodies shift from one key to another instantly and non-traditionally as well.
