String Trios - Two Violins and Cello

Most of the items in this category include an alternative part for viola that can be used in place of the violin 2 part. Such arrangements are simply labeled as “string trio.” Works that are specifically arranged for two violins and cello are identified as such and do not include an alternative viola part.

While composers of the baroque era produced volumes of trio sonatas, by the late eighteenth century, composers writing trios tended to favor the combination of violin, viola and cello. Without the use of transcriptions, ensembles of two violins and cello are largely restricted to the baroque style. The VSM collection of trios for two violins and cello includes many arrangements from the classical and romantic eras, plus a number of works in more recent styles such as ragtime and tango.