Together with Casella, Malipiero and Respighi, Pizzetti was one of the leading composers of the generation of Italian composers born around 1880 (the so-called ‘generation of the 1880s’). The early String Quartet in A major has a delightfully open lyricism linked to the folk modes of the composer’s native province of Emilia, and is reminiscent in part of Dvořák’s rustic charm. From Pizzetti’s mature period, the String Quartet in D major pushes beyond traditional forms and projects an evocative and powerfully expressive individuality.