A
string quintet is an ensemble of five players - the most common combinations are 2
violins, 2
violas and
cello or 2 violins, viola and 2 cellos. The second cello is occasionally replaced by a
bass, as in
Antonin Dvorak's quintet.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart pioneered writing for a
string quartet augmented by a second viola, and one outstanding masterpiece for the 2-cellos quintet is
Franz Schubert's Quintet in C major.