Quatuor Partitions

A quartet is a piece written to be performed by a string quartet ensemble (two violins, a viola, and a cello). Since the 18th century, the string quartet has gained a place as one of the most important chamber music forms. With only four instruments and an homogeneous sound palette, the composer is faced with a task that doesn't allow for colouristic effects or innecesary textural enrichment. The standard structure for a quartet is in four movements: the first in sonata forms, the second a slow movement, the third a minuet, and the fourth a sonata or rondo.