String quartet String quartet A string quartet is a musical ensemble consisting of four string players – two violin players, a viola player and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group. The string quartet is one of the most prominent chamber ensembles in classical music, with most major composers, from the mid 18th century onwards, writing string quartets. The string quartet was developed into its current form by the Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, with his works in the 1750s establishing the genre. Ever since Haydn's day the string quartet has been considered a prestigious form
The Noise (string quartet) Music has seen the group record the 2013 album "composed NOISE", consisting of all new string quartets with elements of improvisation by seven leading Australian composers including Andrew Ford and Rosalind Page. Their 2015 release "Stream" was a double album consisting of all improvised material, which just like "composed NOISE" received four-star reviews in the Sydney Morning Herald, with SMH jazz critic John Shand describing the aesthetic as "...melodic, evocative, starkly beautiful... and coher[ing] with sometimes uncanny precision...". Due for release is Georges Lentz's 6-hour masterpiece "String Quartet(s)" on which The Noise collaborated. The Noise (string quartet) The Noise are