string trio

In music, the conventional combination of violin, viola, and cello. It is found in one of Mozart's finest works, the Divertimento K563. Haydn and Boccherini had earlier used the combination in occasional works. Beethoven emulated Mozart's example in his trio Op. 3, and his set of three trios Op. 9. After comparative neglect during the Romantic period, notable trios of the 20th century include those of Roussel, Hindemith, Dohnányi, Schoenberg, and Webern.