String Quartet no. 2 in F major, op. 22

The String Quartet No. 2 in F major, Op. 22, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, was composed between December 1873 and January 1874. It premiered on 22 March 1874.
In October 1874, Tchaikovsky got on record as considering it his finest work: "I regard it as my best work; no other piece has poured forth from me so simply and easily. I wrote it almost at one sitting." (from letter to his brother Modest, quoted in reference). Also, later (quoted in the chapter '1879-1881'), "I wrote that music (Vakula) with affection and with delight, just as I did... the Second Quartet" (from letter to Nadezhda von Meck, ibid).