Carter, Elliott (1908-...), is one of the leading American composers of the 1900's. His music is extremely intricate, and its performance requires highly skillful musicianship. Carter is especially noted for his chamber music. He won two Pulitzer Prizes for his String Quartets No. 2 (1959) and No. 3 (1973). These works emphasize novel approaches to the traditional quartet. For example, in String Quartet No. 3, Carter divides the group into two duos (violin I and viola, violin II and cello). Highly original in form and detail, Carter's music also shows the influence of the modern composers Charles Ives, Arnold Schoenberg, and Igor Stravinsky.