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For other uses, see Orchestra (disambiguation).
The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra
The Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra

An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. A musical ensemble is a group of two or more Musicians who perform instrumental or vocal Music. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The theatre of ancient Greece, or ancient Greek drama, is a theatrical Culture that flourished in ancient Greece between c The Greek chorus ( choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek Dithyrambs and Tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the twentieth century.

A smaller orchestra (of about forty players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra.

A full size orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these prefixes do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. The London Symphony Orchestra ( LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( LPO) based in London, is one of the major Orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played and the size of the venue. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty musicians; some are much smaller than that.

Contents

Instrumentation

Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan
Apo Hsu and the NTNU Symphony Orchestra on stage in the National Concert Hall in Taipei, Taiwan

The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments, generally appearing in the musical score in the following order:

The Instruments marked in boldface are considered the "core" symphonic instruments, required in all but the rarest cases. Other instruments listed above are considered auxiliary instruments and are less frequently required, but still referred to as standard. Late 19th century symphonic works calling for all the auxiliary instruments, as well as an augmented number of strings, usually include the phrase "for large orchestra" in their full titles.

Beethoven’s influence

The so-called "standard complement" of double winds and brass in the orchestra from the first half of the 19th century is generally attributed to the forces called for by Beethoven. Ludwig van Beethoven ( English ˈlʊdvɪg væn ˈbeɪtoʊvən, 16 December 1770 &ndash 26 March 1827 was a German Composer and Pianist. The exceptions to this are his Fourth Symphony and Violin Concerto, which each specify a single flute. The flute is a Musical instrument of the Woodwind family Unlike other woodwind instruments a flute is a Reedless wind instrument that produces its

Expanded instrumentation

Apart from the core orchestral complement, various other instruments are called for occasionally. These include the saxophone, heckelphone, flugelhorn, cornet, harpsichord, and organ. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind The Heckelphone Heckelphon is a musical instrument invented by Wilhelm Heckel and his sons introduced in 1904 The flugelhorn (also spelled fluegelhorn or flügelhorn) is a Brass instrument resembling a Trumpet but with a wider conical bore The cornet is a Brass instrument very similar to the Trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape and mellower tone quality A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. The organ (from Greek όργανον – organon "organ instrument tool" is a Keyboard instrument of one or more divisions each Saxophones, for example, appear in a limited range of 19th and 20th century scores. The saxophone (commonly referred to simply as sax) is a conical- bored transposing Musical instrument considered a member of the Woodwind While appearing only as featured solo instruments in some works, for example Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances, the saxophone is included in other works, such as Ravel's Bolero and Walton's Belshazzar's Feast, as a member of the orchestral ensemble. Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (Моде́ст Петро́вич Му́соргский Modest Petrovič Musorgskij) ( March 21 March 9 1839 &ndash March Pictures at an Exhibition (Картинки с выставки &ndash Воспоминание о Викторе Гартмане Kartinki s vystavki &ndash Vospominaniye WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (Сергей Васильевич Рахманинов The Symphonic Dances, Op 45 is an Orchestral suite in three movements Boléro is a one-movement orchestral piece by Maurice Ravel. Originally composed as a ballet, the piece which premiered in 1928 is considered Ravel's Sir William Turner Walton, OM ( March 29, 1902 &ndash March 8, 1983) was a British Composer and Belshazzar's Feast is an Oratorio by the English composer William Walton. The euphonium is featured in a few late Romantic and 20th century works, usually playing parts marked "tenor tuba", including Holst's The Planets, and Richard Strauss's Ein Heldenleben. The euphonium is a conical-bore, Baritone -voiced Brass instrument. Romantic Music is a Musicological term referring to a particular period theory compositional practice and canon in European music history from about 1815 to 1910 At the turn of the 20th century classical music was characteristically late Romantic in style while at the same time the Impressionist movement spearheaded by Claude Debussy Gustav Theodore Holst (21 September 1874 – 25 May 1934was an English Composer and was a music teacher for nearly 20 years The Planets Op 32 is a seven- movement Orchestral suite by the British composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 Richard Georg Strauss (11 June 1864 &ndash 8 September 1949 was a German Composer of the late Romantic era and early modern era particularly noted Cornets appear in Tchaikovsky's ballet Swan Lake, Debussy's La Mer, and several orchestral works by Hector Berlioz. Swan Lake ( Лебединое Озеро, Lebedinoye Ozero) is a Ballet, op Achille-Claude Debussy (aʃil klod dəbysi (August 22 1862 &ndash March 25 1918 was a French Composer. La mer trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre (French for The sea three symphonic sketches for orchestra) or simply La Mer Unless these instruments are played by members doubling on another instrument (for example, a trombone player changing to euphonium for a certain passage), orchestras will use freelance musicians to augment their regular rosters. A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is a person who pursues a profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer

Organization

Lorin Maazel conducting
Lorin Maazel conducting

Among the instrument groups and within each group of instruments, there is a generally accepted hierarchy. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Lorin Varencove Maazel (born March 6, 1930) is a Every instrumental group (or section) has a principal who is generally responsible for leading the group and playing orchestral solos. The violins are divided into two groups, first violin and second violin, each with its principal. The principal first violin is called the concertmaster (or "leader" in the UK) and is considered the leader of not only the string section, but of the entire orchestra, subordinate only to the conductor. The concertmaster / mistress, or concert Meister (from German Konzertmeister) is the leader of the first Violin section of a Symphony Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures

The principal trombone is considered the leader of the low brass section, while the principal trumpet is generally considered the leader of the entire brass section. Similarly, the principal oboe is considered the leader of the woodwind section, and is the player to whom all others tune. The horn, while technically a brass instrument, often acts in the role of both woodwind and brass. Most sections also have an assistant principal (or co-principal or associate principal), or in the case of the first violins, an assistant concertmaster, who often plays a tutti part in addition to replacing the principal in his or her absence. Tutti is an Italian word literally meaning all or together. As a musical term it is used in various ways

A section string player plays unison with the rest of the section, except in the case of divided (divisi) parts, where upper and lower parts in the music are often assigned to "outside" (nearer the audience) and "inside" seated players. In Music, a unison () is an interval, the ratio of 11 or 0 half steps and zero cents. Where a solo part is called for in a string section, for example in the violins, the section leader invariably plays that part. Tutti wind and brass players generally play a unique but non-solo part. Section percussionists play parts assigned to them by the principal percussionist.

In modern times, the musicians are usually directed by a conductor, although early orchestras did not have one, using instead the concertmaster or the harpsichordist playing the continuo for this role. A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures The concertmaster / mistress, or concert Meister (from German Konzertmeister) is the leader of the first Violin section of a Symphony A harpsichord is a Musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. Some modern orchestras also do without conductors, particularly smaller orchestras and those specialising in historically accurate performances of baroque music and earlier. Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750.

The most frequently performed repertoire for a symphony orchestra is Western classical music or opera. A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Opera is an art form in which Singers and Musicians perform a Dramatic work (called an opera which combines a text (called a Libretto However, orchestras are sometimes used in popular music, and are used extensively in film music. Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more A film score is a broad term referring to the music in a film which is generally categorically separated from songs used within a film

The Budapest Symphony Orchestra
The Budapest Symphony Orchestra

History of the orchestra

Early history

In the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy the households of nobles had musicians to provide music for dancing and the court, however with the emergence of the theatre, particularly opera, in the early 17th century, music was increasingly written for groups of players in combination: which is the origin of orchestral playing. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Dance (from French danser, perhaps from Frankish) is an Art form that generally refers to movement of the body usually rhythmic A court is a forum used by a power base to adjudicate disputes and dispense civil, labour administrative and criminal Justice under its Opera originated in Italy, and Germany eagerly followed. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Dresden, Munich and Hamburg successively built opera houses. Dresden (etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest, Drježdźany is the Capital city of the German Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany At the end of the 17th century opera flourished in England under Henry Purcell, and in France under Lully, who with the collaboration of Molière also greatly raised the status of the entertainments known as ballets, interspersed with instrumental and vocal music. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Henry Purcell (ˈpɜrsəl 10 September 1659 (? – 21 November 1695 was an English Baroque Composer. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Jean-Baptiste de Lully ( Giovanni Battista di Lulli) (ʒɑ̃batist də lyˈli in French (November 28 1632 &ndash March 22 1687 was a French Composer of Italian Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, also known by his Stage name, Molière, ( January 15, 1622 – February 17 1673) was a French Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance

In the 17th century and early 18th century, instrumental groups were taken from all of the available talent. A composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach had control over almost all of the musical resources of a town, whereas Handel would hire the best musicians available. WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section.2 This article is written in British English including maximised use of "-ise" This placed a premium on being able to rewrite music for whichever singers or musicians were best suited for a performance—Handel produced different versions of the Messiah oratorio almost every year. This article is about the concept of a Messiah in religion notably in the Christian Islamic and Jewish traditions

As nobility began to build retreats away from towns, they began to hire musicians to form permanent ensembles. Composers such as the young Joseph Haydn would then have a fixed body of instrumentalists to work with. At the same time, travelling virtuoso performers would write concerti that showed off their skills, and they would travel from town to town, arranging concerts along the way. The aristocratic orchestras worked together over long periods, making it possible for ensemble playing to improve with practice.

Mannheim School

This change, from civic music making where the composer had some degree of time or control, to smaller court music making and one-off performance, placed a premium on music that was easy to learn, often with little or no rehearsal. The results were changes in musical style and emphasis on new techniques. Mannheim had one of the most famous orchestras of that time, where notated dynamics and phrasing, previously quite rare, became standard (see Mannheim school). Mannheim is a City in Germany. With 327318 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg after the capital Stuttgart Mannheim school refers to both the orchestral techniques pioneered by the court orchestra of Mannheim in the latter half of the 18th century as well as the group of composers It also attended a change in musical style from the complex counterpoint of the baroque period, to an emphasis on clear melody, homophonic textures, short phrases, and frequent cadences: a style that would later be defined as classical. In Music, counterpoint is the relationship between two or more voices that are independent in contour and Rhythm, and interdependent in Harmony Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc In Music, a melody (from Greek μελῳδία - melōidía, "singing chanting" also tune, voice, or The dates of the Classical period in Western music are generally accepted as 1750 to 1810

Throughout the late 18th century composers would continue to have to assemble musicians for a performance, often called an "Academy", which would, naturally, feature their own compositions. In 1781, however, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra was organized from the merchants concert society, and it began a trend towards the formation of civic orchestras that would accelerate into the 19th century. The Gewandhausorchester Leipzig ( Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra) is a famous German Orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. In 1815, Boston's Handel and Haydn Society was founded, in 1842 the New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic were formed, and in 1858, the Hallé Orchestra was formed in Manchester. The Handel and Haydn Society is a chorus and period instrument orchestra in the city of Boston Massachusetts. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active Symphony Orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842 The Vienna Philharmonic (in German: die Wiener Philharmoniker) is an Orchestra in Austria, regularly considered one of the finest in the The Hallé is a Symphony orchestra based in Manchester, England, it claims the status of "the oldest professional orchestra" in the There had long been standing bodies of musicians around operas, but not for concert music: this situation changed in the early 19th century as part of the increasing emphasis in the composition of symphonies and other purely instrumental forms. A symphony is a Musical composition, often extended and usually for Orchestra. This was encouraged by composer critics such as E.T.A. Hoffmann who declared that instrumental music was the "purest form" of music. Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann ( January 24, 1776 &ndash June 25, 1822) better known by his Pen name E The creation of standing orchestras also resulted in a professional framework where musicians could rehearse and perform the same works repeatedly, leading to the concept of a repertoire in instrumental music.

Performance standards

In the 1830s, conductor François Antoine Habeneck, began rehearsing a selected group of musicians in order to perform the symphonies of Beethoven, which had not been heard of in their entirety in Paris. François Antoine Habeneck ( January 22, 1781 &ndash February 8, 1849) was a French violinist and conductor. He developed techniques of rehearsing the strings separately, notating specifics of performance, and other techniques of cuing entrances that were spread across Europe. His rival and friend Hector Berlioz would adopt many of these innovations in his touring of Europe.

Instrumental craftsmanship

The invention of the piston and rotary valve by Stolzel and Bluhmel, both Silesians, in 1815, was the first in a series of innovations, including the development of modern keywork for the flute by Theobald Boehm and the innovations of Adolphe Sax in the woodwinds. Silesians ( Silesian: Ślůnzoki; Ślązacy Slezané Schlesier are the inhabitants of Silesia in Poland, Germany and the Theobald Böhm (or Boehm) ( April 9, 1794 – November 27, 1881) was a Bavarian Inventor and Musician Antoine-Joseph 'Adolphe' Sax (November 6 1814 &ndash February 4 1894 was a Belgian Musical instrument designer and Musician ( Clarinetist These advances would lead Hector Berlioz to write a landmark book on instrumentation, which was the first systematic treatise on the use of instrumental sound as an expressive element of music. In Music, the word instrumentation is used to refer to the particular combination of Musical instruments employed in a composition and to the properties

The effect of the invention of valves for the brass was felt almost immediately: instrument-makers throughout Europe strove together to foster the use of these newly refined instruments and continuing their perfection; and the orchestra was before long enriched by a new family of valved instruments, variously known as tubas, or euphoniums and bombardons, having a chromatic scale and a full sonorous tone of great beauty and immense volume, forming a magnificent bass. Mediatubaogg -->The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched Brass instrument. The euphonium is a conical-bore, Baritone -voiced Brass instrument. Mediatubaogg -->The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched Brass instrument. This also made possible a more uniform playing of notes or intonation, which would lead to a more and more "smooth" orchestral sound that would peak in the 1950s with Eugene Ormandy and The Philadelphia Orchestra and the conducting of Herbert von Karajan with The Berlin Philharmonic. Intonation, in Music, is a musician's realization of pitch accuracy or the pitch accuracy of a musical instrument WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Eugene Ormandy ( November 18, 1899 &ndash March The Philadelphia Orchestra is an Orchestra based in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, in the United States. WikipediaWikiProject Classical music#Biographical_infoboxes --> Herbert von Karajan ( April 5 The Berlin Philharmonic (in German: Die Berliner Philharmoniker) is an Orchestra based in Berlin, Germany.

During this transition period, which gradually eased the performance of more demanding "natural" brass writing, many composers (notably Wagner and Berlioz) still notated brass parts for the older "natural" instruments. This practice made it possible for players still using natural horns, for instance, to perform from the same parts as those now playing valved instruments. However, over time, use of the valved instruments became standard, indeed universal, until the revival of older instruments in the contemporary movement towards authentic performance (sometimes known as "historically informed performance"). The historically informed performance, period performance, or authentic performance movement is an approach by musicians and scholars to research and perform works

At the time of the invention of the valved brass, the pit orchestra of most operetta composers seems to have been modest. A pit orchestra is a type of Orchestra that accompanies performers in Musicals, Operas, and other shows involving music An example is Sullivan's use of two flutes, one oboe, two clarinets, one bassoon, two horns, two cornets (a piston), two trombones, drums and strings. Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO (13 May 1842 &ndash 22 November 1900 was an English composer of Irish and Italian descent best known for his operatic

During this time of invention, winds and brass were expanded, and had an increasingly easy time playing in tune with each other: particularly the ability for composers to score for large masses of wind and brass that previously had been impractical. Works such as the Requiem of Hector Berlioz would have been impossible to perform just a few decades earlier, with its demanding writing for twenty woodwinds, as well as four gigantic brass ensembles each including around four trumpets, four trombones, and two tubas. The Grande Messe des morts, Op. 5 (or Requiem) by Hector Berlioz was composed in 1837.

Wagner’s influence

The next major expansion of symphonic practice came from Wagner's Bayreuth orchestra, founded to accompany his musical dramas. Bayreuthfestjpg|thumb|350px|right|Bayreuth Festspielhaus as seen in 1882 Wagner’s works for the stage were scored with unprecedented scope and complexity: indeed, his score to Das Rheingold calls for no fewer than six harps. Das Rheingold ("The Rhine Gold" is the first of the four operas that comprise Der Ring des Nibelungen ( The Ring of the Nibelung) by Richard Wagner The harp is a Stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. Thus, Wagner envisioned an ever-more-demanding role for the conductor of the theater orchestra, as he elaborated in his influential work "On Conducting". This brought about a revolution in orchestral composition, and set the style for orchestral performance for the next eighty years. Musical composition is an original piece of Music the structure of a musical piece the process of creating a new Wagner's theories re-examined the importance of tempo, dynamics, bowing of string instruments and the role of principals in the orchestra. 2266-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl or TEMPO is the Chemical compound with the formula (CH23(CMe22NO In Music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a Sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece either stylistic Conductors who studied his methods would go on to be influential themselves.

20th century orchestra

As the early 20th century dawned, symphony orchestras were larger, better funded, and better trained than ever before; consequently, composers could compose larger and more ambitious works. With the recording era beginning, the standard of performance reached a pinnacle. In recordings, small errors in a performance could be "fixed," but many older conductors and composers could remember a time when simply "getting through" the music as best as possible was the standard. Combined with the wider audience made possible by recording, this led to a renewed focus on particular conductors and on a high standard of orchestral execution. As sound was added to silent film, the virtuoso orchestra became a key component of the establishment of motion pictures as mass-market entertainment.

Counter-revolution

In the 1920s and 1930s, economic as well as artistic considerations led to the formation of smaller concert societies, particularly those dedicated to the performance of music of the avant-garde, including Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (Игорь Фёдорович Стравинский) ( &ndash 6 April 1971 was a Russian born Composer, considered by many to Arnold Schoenberg ( pronounced ˈʃøːnbɛrk (13 September 1874 &ndash 13 July 1951 was an Austrian and later American Composer, associated with This tendency to start festival orchestras or dedicated groups would also be pursued in the creation of summer musical festivals, and orchestras for the performance of smaller works. Among the most influential of these was the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields is an English chamber Orchestra. Sir Neville Marriner (born April 15, 1924) is an English conductor and Violinist.

With the advent of the early music movement, orchestras where players worked on execution of works in styles derived from the study of older treatises on playing became common. These include the London Classical Players under the direction of Sir Roger Norrington and the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, among others. The London Classical Players (LCP was a British Orchestra that specialized in music following Historically informed performance (HIP practices and orchestral performances Sir Roger Arthur Carver Norrington, CBE (born March 16, 1934) is a British conductor. The Academy of Ancient Music ( AAM) is a period-instrument orchestra based in London re-founded by harpsichordist Christopher Hogwood in 1973 Christopher Jarvis Haley Hogwood CBE (born 10 September 1941) is an English conductor, Harpsichordist Writer and scholar

Recent trends

The late 20th century saw a crisis of funding and support for orchestras in Europe. The size and cost of a symphony orchestra, compared to the size of the base of supporters, became an issue that struck at the core of the institution. The drastic falling-off of revenues from recording, tied to no small extent to changes in the recording industry itself, began a period of change that has yet to reach its conclusion. Critics such as Norman Lebrecht were vocal in their diagnosis of the problem as the "jet set conductor" and the problems of orchestral repertory and management, while other music administrators such as Michael Tilson Thomas and Esa-Pekka Salonen argued that new music, new means of presenting it, and a renewed relationship with the community could revitalize the symphony orchestra. Norman Lebrecht (born 11 July, 1948) is a British commentator on music and cultural affairs and also a novelist Michael Tilson Thomas (b December 21, 1944) is an American conductor, pianist and Composer. Esa-Pekka Salonen ( (born June 30 1958 is a prominent Finnish orchestral conductor and Composer.

Conductorless orchestras

The post-revolutionary symphony orchestra Persimfans was formed in the USSR in 1922. Persimfans was a conductorless Orchestra in Moscow in the Soviet Union that existed between 1922 and 1932. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 The unusual aspect of the orchestra was that, believing that in the ideal Marxist state all people are equal, its members felt that there was no need to be led by the dictatorial baton of a conductor; instead they were led by a committee. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Conducting is the act of directing a Musical performance by way of visible gestures A committee (some of which are titled instead as a "Commission" or other terms discussed below in) is a type of small Deliberative assembly that is usually intended Although it was a partial success, the principal difficulty with the concept was in changing tempo. 2266-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl or TEMPO is the Chemical compound with the formula (CH23(CMe22NO The orchestra survived for ten years and had to be disbanded only when the individual talents began to rebel against the rigid control under which they were expected to play.

Some ensembles, such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, based in New York City, have had more success, although decisions are likely to be deferred to some sense of leadership within the ensemble (for example, the principal wind and string players). The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra is a world-renowned Grammy Award-winning classical music Chamber orchestra based in New York City The City of New York

Others have returned to the tradition of a principal player, usually a violinist, being the artistic director and running rehearsals (such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra). The Australian Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1975 in Sydney The New Century Chamber Orchestra was founded in 1992 by musicians looking to present Classical music in the San Francisco Bay Area and to communicate morevividly with audiences

Multiple conductors

The techniques of polystylism and polytempo music have recently led a few composers to write music where multiple orchestras perform simultaneously. Polystylism is the use of multiple styles or techniques of music and is seen as a Postmodern characteristic These trends have brought about the phenomenon of polyconductor music, wherein separate sub-conductors conduct each group of musicians. Usually, one principal conductor conducts the sub-conductors, thereby shaping the overall performance. Some pieces are enormously complex in this regard, such as Evgeni Kostitsyn's Third Symphony, which calls for nine conductors.

Charles Ives used two conductors, one to simulate a marching band coming through his piece. Charles Edward Ives (October 20 1874 – May 19 1954 was an American Composer of modernist Classical music. Realizations for Symphonic Band includes one example from Ives.

Other meanings of orchestra

In ancient Greece the orchestra was the space between the auditorium and the proscenium (or stage), in which were stationed the chorus and the instrumentalists. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία An auditorium (plural auditoriums, or less commonly auditoria) is the area within a theatre, Concert hall, or other performance space where the Proscenium theatre is a Theatre space whose primary feature is a large Archway (the proscenium arch) at or near the front of the stage, through In Theatre, the stage (sometimes referred to as the deck in Stagecraft) is a designated space for the Performance of theatrical productions The Greek chorus ( choros) is believed to have grown out of the Greek Dithyrambs and Tragikon drama in tragic plays of the ancient A musician is a person who plays or writes Music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music An instrumentalist plays a The Greek word for orchestra literally means "a dancing place".

In some theaters, the orchestra is the area of seats directly in front of the stage (called primafila or platea); the term more properly applies to the place in a theatre, or concert hall reserved for the musicians. A concert hall is a cultural building which serves as performance venue chiefly for classical instrumental music

See also

External links

Orchestration is the study or practice of writing Music for Orchestra (or more loosely for any Musical ensemble) or of adapting for orchestra music composed World World Philharmonic Orchestra Africa Egypt Cairo Symphony Orchestra This non-exhaustive list of symphony orchestras in Europe contains European orchestras with entries in the Wikipedia plus other particularly noted orchestras based there This non-exhaustive list of symphony orchestras in the United States contains American Orchestras with entries in the Wikipedia plus other particularly noted orchestras A concert hall is a cultural building which serves as performance venue chiefly for classical instrumental music This is a non-exhaustive list of youth orchestras in the United States. The shorthand for the orchestration of a classical symphony orchestra is used to outline which and how many instruments, especially Wind instruments are A radio orchestra (or broadcast orchestra) is a classical music Orchestra employed by a Radio network (and sometimes Television networks in order

Dictionary

orchestra

-noun

  1. (music) A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including strings, woodwind, brass and percussion; the instruments played by such a group.
  2. The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage.
  3. A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in ancient Greek theatres.
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