History and development Early history thumb|upright=1.3|A string quartet in performance. From left to right: violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello The early history of the string quartet is in many ways the history of the development of the genre by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn. There had been examples of divertimenti for two solo violins, viola and cello by the Viennese composers Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Ignaz Holzbauer; and there had long been a tradition of performing orchestral works one instrument to a part. The British musicologist David Wyn Jones cites the widespread practice of four players, one to a part, playing works written for string orchestra, such as divertimenti and serenades, there being no separate (fifth) contrabass part in string scoring before the 19th century. However, these composers showed no interest in exploring the development of the string quartet as a medium.
History and development Early history thumb|upright=13|A string quartet in performance From left to right violin 1 violin 2 viola cello The early history of the string quartet is in many ways the history of the development of the genre by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn There had been examples of divertimenti for two solo violins viola and cello by the Viennese composers Georg Christoph Wagenseil and Ignaz Holzbauer; and there had long been a tradition of performing orchestral works one instrument to a part The British musicologist David Wyn Jones cites the widespread practice of four players one to a part playing works written for string orchestra such as divertimenti and serenades there being no separate (fifth) contrabass part in string scoring before the 19th century However these composers showed no interest in exploring the development of the string quartet as a medium