Zemlinsky wrote four numbered string quartets that represent his stylistic evolution from Brahmsian Romanticism to a more expressionistic, dissonant language:

Alexander von Zemlinsky was Arnold Schoenberg's only teacher and Gustav Mahler's contemporary. His quartets are essential listening for anyone interested in the transition from the lush 19th-century "Vienna" sound to modernism.

His masterpiece in the genre. It is a single-movement, complex work dedicated to Arnold Schoenberg, reflecting the turmoil of the early 20th century.

Rich, melodic, and heavily influenced by Johannes Brahms and Antonín Dvořák.