Martinů was strongly drawn to the string quartet form from his childhood. He composed his first quartet, based on the poem Tři jezdci by Czech poet Jaroslav Vrchlický, at the age of eight. However, Martinů's juvenile works remain forgotten, are now archive material, and it is difficult to reconstruct them. Martinů made his first step into the world of quartet writing with his "French Quartet". The work was composed in Polička in 1918. In 1925 Martinů intended to have the composition performed in Paris, with the evčík Quartet. However, the quartet was not premièred until 1927 in Brno.

Date of composition 1918 in Policka, Czech Republic
Premiered 1927 in Brno, Czech Republic
Type String Quartet
Catalogue H 117
Approx. duration 36 minutes
Instruments String Quartet
Autotranslations beta Bohuslav Martinů: Quatuor à cordes n°1, H 117
Bohuslav Martinů: Quartetto d'archi n. 1, H 117
Bohuslav Martinů: Streichquartett Nr. 1, H 117