What a dying composer sounds like

A case could be made for withdrawing to some place alone and listening to only Beethoven's last string quartets on loop when the world does come to an end, even if chamber music is not your thing. They were composed in 1825 and 1826; he died 26 March 1827.

He is remembered as the first Romantic, but he also became a type of proto-Modernist, even before these quartets were written. Always the game-changer, he caused many to recoil in horror when they were first heard (especially the Fugue), but later generations have come to greatly appreciate them, including Stravinsky and Adorno. Schubert personally requested No. 14 be played shortly before his death on 19 November 1828.

It's also important for tuning enthusiasts to listen to the intonation used by professional quartets; pitches should deviate a little from Pythagorean or equal temperament to produce clean-sounding chords. In classical technique, they're essentialy playing in 53 equal temperament, which approximates 5-limit just intonation better than any other practical ET.

The videos below are of performances for WXQR Radio in New York for their "Obeythoven" marathon, November 2012.

No. 12 in E flat major, Op. 127 (1825).

No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130 (1825), with its original finale, the Große Fuge, Op. 133 (1826). The latter was his last significant finished work.

No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 131 (1826), the composer's personal favorite.

No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132 (1825)

No. 16 in F major, Op. 135 (1826)