Which instruments are commonly used in chamber music ensembles?

Chamber music is composed for small ensembles, typically featuring one player per part, and historically emphasizes stringed instruments and keyboard instruments like the piano or harpsichord. While there is great variability in instrumentation, several standard ensembles are common in Western music:12

• String Quartet: Composed of two violins, viola, and violoncello.32
• Woodwind Quintet: Typically includes flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, and bassoon.42
• Piano Trio: Usually consists of a pianist, a violinist, and a cellist.5
• Brass Quintet: Frequently composed of two trumpets, a horn, a trombone, and a tuba.2
• Sonata Combinations: Often feature one wind or stringed instrument paired with a piano.2

Beyond these standard groups, chamber music encompasses hundreds of other combinations of wind instruments and stringed instruments, as well as vocal music with or without accompaniment.12