Quartet Quartet In music, a quartet or quartette (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers; or a musical composition for four voices or instruments. In Classical music, the most important combination of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quartets most often consist of two violins, a viola, and a cello. The particular choice and number of instruments derives from the registers of the human voice: soprano, alto, tenor and bass. In the string quartet, two violins play the soprano and alto vocal registers, the viola plays the tenor register and
Philadelphia String Quartet by Violist Radhames Santos. A new web site has been made: Philadelphia String Quartet Philadelphia String Quartet The Philadelphia String Quartet was an American string quartet started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The string quartet was started in 1959-60 by four members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who later broke off from the orchestra and accepted residency in Washington. Alan Iglitzin, the founding violist of the quartet, later went on to found the Olympic Music Festival near Quilcene, Washington. The original founding members of the Philadelphia String Quartet were Alan Iglitzin (viola), Irwin Eisenberg (second violin), Charles Brennand (cello), and Veda Reynolds (first