Discovering String Quartets

Level and demands

No specialist musical knowledge is required for full participation. All that is necessary is an interest in listening to music and finding out more about it.

The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.

Course aims

To trace the development of the string quartet from its origins to the present day.

Course objectives

• To explore the unique character of the string quartet as it developed over time.
• Understanding specific contributions made by individual composers and their influence on later composers.
• Understanding the social history of the string quartet, tracing its gradual transition from private performance to the concert hall and the recording studio.

Programme details

Courses starts Thursday 23 April 2026

This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Thursdays, 4.30-6.30pm.

Week 1: The Early String Quartet – Mozart and Haydn

Week 2: Beethoven and the String Quartet

Week 3: The Early Romantic String Quartet – Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann

Week 4: The Later Romantic String Quartet – Brahms, Smetana, Borodin, Dvořák

Week 5: The String Quartet in the Twentieth Century and Beyond.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods will include:

• Listening to musical examples, both pre-recorded and live.
• Mini lectures introducing the music to be played.
• Class discussions following the musical examples.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to gain:

• A basic overview of the history of the string quartet.
• An understanding of its unique characteristics.
• A broad experience of listening to musical examples by a cross-section of composers who made significant contributions to the genre.

Assessment methods

This course is not accredited, so there are no assessments or coursework.

Peter Copley

Peter Copley D.Phil, MA, B.mus is a composer, cellist and pianist. He is a visiting lecturer at Oxford Lifelong Learning, the University of Sussex and for the Open University, where he has been a Research Associate for the music faculty.

Certification

Digital badge

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.

After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. See details of our concessionary fees for short courses.

Recommended reading

Recommended reading is optional and you are not required to purchase these books to study this course. 

• The Cambridge Companion to the String Quartet (Cambridge Companions to Music) / Robin Stowell (ed)

Optional recommended reading list (pdf)

Library facilities

All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Library, part of the Bodleian Libraries, for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are also welcome to use the Library for reference.

• More information about the Library can be found on the Bodleian Libraries website. 
• This guide for Weekly Class students also provides further information.

Please use the ‘Book now’ button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

Weekly learning short courses