In October 1923, the Czech Quartet asked Leos Janacek to "compose something for her". This gave the impetus for his first string quartet. The work was inspired by Tolsty´s "Kreutzer Sonata" (which the writer had written under the impression of Beethoven´s famous violin sonata). Janacek had previously read Tosttoy´s story in the Russian original. Even then she had inspired him to compose, so that in the years 1907 and 1908 a piano trio was created, which was later lost. Janacek´s String Quartet is a masterpiece by the almost seventy-year-old composer. With this work, a process was initiated, which continued in the composer´s twilight years in the composition of the second string quartet "Intimate Letters". - Urtext of the Critical Complete Edition of the Works of Leos Janacek - Consideration of all accessible sources - Foreword by Milos Stedron (Czech/English/German)