String music emerged in the small instrumental ensembles of the late Renaissance, but it assumed an orchestral form with Arcangelo Corelli’s Concerti grossi Op. 6, which established the dialogue between a group of soloists (the concertino) and a full orchestra (the ripieno or concerto grosso). In the eighteenth century Antonio Vivaldi placed the violin at center-stage with The Four Seasons, creating a genuine sonic tableaux, while Franz Joseph Haydn codified the string quartet, the Classical era’s thematic laboratory. Romanticism rediscovered lyrical warmth in Tchaikovsky’s graceful Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48. In the twentieth century Béla Bartók pushed tone color and rhythm beyond tonal boundaries with the Divertimento for Strings, Sz. 113. From courtly dances to the avant-garde, the string ensemble has remained a favoured playground for composers’ inventiveness. All the works mentioned, and many more, can be found in this section, performed by outstanding artists.