Composed between 1973 and 1976, Thus the night for String Quartet is one of the most important works of its genre, by Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013), a French composer following the paths of Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.

Commissioned by the Koussevitzky Foundation for the Juilliard Quartet, Thus the night is based on a series of studies, lasting 18 minutes and divided into 7 sections:
1. Nocturne
2. Miroir d'espace
3. Litanies
4. Litanies II
5. Constellations
6. Nocturne II
7. Temps suspendu

Built on single hexachords, it also uses the octatonic mode and focuses on harmonies, contrasts and oppositions of register.
Henri Dutilleux was internationally acclaimed for his work, winning prizes such as the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society and the UNESCO's International Rostrum of Composers, among many others. His work also includes a Piano sonata, two symphonies, the Violin concerto 'L'arbre des songes' (The tree of dreams) and the Cello concerto 'Tout un monde lointain' (A whole distant world).