Maurice Ravel’s sole composition for string quartet dating from 1903 is considered today to be one of the most important, most performed and recorded works of the chamber music repertoire.

The editor Juliette Appold , traces the work's inception and documents its first performance and the reactions to it from none other than Fauré and Debussy. Also addressed are later performances of the work under the supervision of Ravel, the early recordings made under Ravel’s auspices and the first publication by Astruc .

This first ever critical edition of Ravel’s quartet relies not only on the Astruc edition and its proofs, corrected and altered by the composer, but also on the revised edition issued by Durand in 1910.

Needless to say all discrepancies between the score and the later publication of the performing parts are addressed in the Critical Commentary.