Unlike Beethoven and Bartók, Shostakovich turned to the string quartet comparatively late in his career. He had already reached his Fifth Symphony, in 1937, before the Quartet No. 1 appeared, almost as a diversion—an isolated work composed only on a modest scale. Any influences that it was to have on the later quartets (and these are by no means negligible) could hardly have been foreseen. It was not until after the great Seventh and Eighth Symphonies that Shostakovich really felt the continued creative need for the outlet of the string quartet. Since then this medium has taken a very firm place in his output, and this longlasting creative attention to such an intimate form of expression has brought its rewards both for the composer and for the listener. Indeed, Shostakovich's gradual mastery of form in general and unity in particular is one of the notable features of these works.