String Quartetto Spartiti Musicali

The string quartet is one of the most important chamber ensembles in Western classical music. It consists of two violins, a viola and a violoncello. This choice of instruments probably derives from the standard treatment of human-voice registers (with the soprano and alto being represented by the violins, the tenor by the viola, and the bass by the cello). String quartets almost invariably play pieces conceived for such ensembles, also called 'string quartets'.