String quartet Violini, Violetta [viola], e Violoncello senza Cembalo" (Sonata for four instruments: two violins, viola, and cello without harpsichord), this was a natural evolution from the existing tradition. The string quartet in its now accepted form came about with Haydn. If the combination of two violins, viola and cello was not unknown before Haydn, when it occurred in chamber music it was more likely through circumstance than conscious design; certainly the string quartet enjoyed no recognized status as an ensemble in the way that two violins with basso continuo – the so-called 'trio sonata' – had for more than a hundred
Ancora String Quartet Ancora String Quartet The Ancora String Quartet is a string quartet based in Madison, Wisconsin. The quartet was founded in Madison in 2000. Its musicians studied at some of the leading music schools in the United States, including the New England Conservatory of Music, the Eastman School of Music, the Indiana University School of Music, and the University of Texas-Austin; they also serve as members of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, the Madison Bach Musicians, and other groups. The current members of the Ancora String Quartet are: Former members of the quartet include Leanne Kelso League, Laura