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
Oberlin String Quartet and Belgium, then won fourth prize in the Concours International de Quatuor. The competition was sponsored by H.M. Queen Elizabeth Music Competition, and held in Liege, Belgium. No first prize was awarded. Oberlin String Quartet The Oberlin String Quartet is a classical music ensemble associated with the Oberlin Conservatory of Music at Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio. In 1955, violinist and Oberlin Conservatory faculty member Andor Toth formed the Oberlin String Quartet with violinist Matthew Raimondi, violist William Berman, and cellist John Frazer. In 1957, violinist John Dalley (second violinist in the Guarneri Quartet), and cellist Peter Howard (for many years