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string quartet
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Engraving of Franz Joseph Haydn conducting a string quartet in an elegant room, with musicians playing and several listeners gathered around.
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Young girl wearing a demin jacket playing the trumpet (child, musical instruments, Asian ethnicity)
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musical composition
quartet
violin family
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string quartet

music
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History

string quartet, musical composition for two violins, viola, and cello in several (usually four) movements. It has been the predominant genre of chamber music since about 1750. See quartet; chamber music.