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
The Noise (string quartet) The Noise (string quartet) The Noise are an experimental string quartet from Sydney, Australia, formed in 2006. The members are "Veronique Serret" and "Mirabai Peart" (violins), "James Eccles" (viola) and "Oliver Miller" (cello). They perform notated music, but specialize in live improvisation, often with effects pedals, in a number of musical genres and in reflection of the varied musical experience of the group's members. All four musicians are classically trained and have performed with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Opera Australia and Pinchgut Opera, but their experience extends to world music, jazz, rock and alternative. The Noise's commitment to experimental New