String Trios - Violin, Viola and Cello

Composers of the baroque era produced volumes of trio sonatas, most of which can be performed as trios by two violins and cello, but virtually nothing for violin, viola and cello.. This leaves ensembles of the latter instrumentation with little repertory before the late eighteenth century, a gap that can be filled only by transcriptions. The VSM sheet music collection of trios for violin, viola and cello includes many baroque transcriptions so that musicians can provide listeners with a wide range of musical styles.

Most items in this category include a second violin part that can be used in place of the viola part. These are identified as being arranged for string trio. Works specifically arranged for violin, viola and cello and not including an alternative part for violin 2 are labeled “string trio – violin, viola, cello.”