String trio String trio A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. The term is generally used with reference to works of chamber music from the Classical period to the present. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cello (cf "string quartet", "piano trio" etc.). This is how the term is used by major catalogs, including IMSLP. The earliest string-trio form, found in the early Classical period, consisted of two violins and a cello, a grouping
String section or violas. Richard Strauss' "Elektra" (1909) and "Josephslegende", the third movement of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 and some of George Handel's coronation anthems, are notable examples of the violins being divided threefold. "String section" is also used to describe a group of bowed string instruments used in rock, pop, jazz and commercial music. In this context the size and composition of the string section is less standardised, and usually smaller, than a classical complement. String section The string section is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and