String quartet of divertimenti for two solo violins, viola and cello by Viennese composers such as Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Ignaz Holzbauer; and there had long been a tradition of performing orchestral works with one instrument to a part. David Wyn Jones cites the widespread practice of playing works written for string orchestra, such as divertimenti and serenades, with just four players, one to a part, there being no separate (fifth) contrabass part in string scoring before the 19th century. However, these composers showed no interest in exploring the development of the string quartet as a medium. The origins of the string
New World String Quartet New World String Quartet The New World String Quartet was a classical music string quartet formed in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, in 1975 and active through the early 1990s. Founding members were: Yosef Yankelev and William Patterson, violins; Yuri Vasilaki, viola; and Ross Harbaugh, cello. These were also the members in a 1981 Minnesota Public Radio interview and performance. As of 1983, members were: Curtis J. Macomber and William Patterson, violins; Robert Dan, viola; and Ross T. Harbaugh, cello. These are also the members listed on the quartet's recording of Ben Johnston's String Quartet No. 6. As of 1985,