What is the difference between a quartet, trio, and duet?
• A. A string trio is simply the elimination of one of the violins or the viola of the quartet, a string duet is two violins. The sound difference is similar to how different songs can be. For example, the melody or solo line of a piece is often played by the first violin part. The melody alone can be a beautiful tune, but often needs accompaniment to make it sound more full and rich. The cello provides the bass line, or foundation, of the musical structure. The second violin often plays a lower “countermelody” to the first violin part and the viola part fills in the harmonies and helps create the fuller sound. Though any combination of two or three instruments can provide beautiful accompaniment for an event, the full quartet provides the most complete sound.
