Early history
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 See more

Many other chamber groups can be seen as modifications of the string quartet:
• The string quintet is a string quartet augmented by a fifth string instrument. Mozart employed … See more

Whereas individual string players often group together to make ad hoc string quartets, others continue to play together for many years in … See more

• Greg Sandow – Introducing String Quartets at the Wayback Machine (archived July 18, 2011)
• A brief history of the development of the String Quartet up to Beethoven
• Beethoven's string quartets See more

Quartets written during the classical period usually had four movements, with a structure similar to that of a symphony:
1. A … See more

Notable works for string quartet include:
• Joseph Haydn's 68 string quartets, in particular Op. 20, Op. 33, Op. 76, Op. 64, No. 5 ("The Lark") and the string quartet version of "The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour On the Cross" (Op. 51)
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• Barrett-Ayres, Reginald: Joseph Haydn and the String Quartet (New York: Schirmer Books, 1974); ISBN 0-02-870400-2 See more