|
Orchestral
An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. A small orchestra (about forty players) is called a chamber orchestra. more...
 Home
Accessories/ Storage
CDs
Cassettes
Music Memorabilia
Other Music Formats
Records
 10" Singles
12'' Singles
7'' Singles
78 RPM
Albums/ LPs
 Avant-Garde/ Experimental
Blues
Brass Bands/ Military Bands
Children's
Christmas/ Seasonal
Classical
 Ballet/ Dance
Chamber
Choral
Early Music/ Baroque
Keyboard
Opera/ Vocal
Orchestral
Organ Music
Other Classical
Comedy
Compilations
Country
Dance
Big Beat
Breakbeat
Chillout/ Ambient
Disco
Drum 'n' Bass/ Jungle
Electronica
Garage
Hard House
Hardcore/ Rave
House
Lounge/ Downtempo
Old Skool
Other Dance
Progressive House
Techno/ Industrial
Trance
Easy Listening
Instrumental
Vocal
Folk
American
English
Other Folk
Indie/ Britpop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Irish Folk/ Traditional
Jazz
Acid/ Fusion
Big Band/ Swing
Bop
Contemporary
Free/ Avant-Garde
Latin
Other Jazz
Traditional/ Dixieland
Metal
Death Metal
Heavy Metal
Nu-Metal
Other Metal
Speed/ Thrash Metal
Other Albums/ LPs
Pop
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
Pop & Beat: 1960s
Beat: 1960s
Pop: 1960s
The Beatles
R&B/ Soul
Funk
Mainstream
Motown
Northern Soul
Other R&B/ Soul
R&B
Soul
Rap/ Hip Hop
East Coast
Freestyle
Gangsta
Hip Hop
Old School
Other Rap/ Hip Hop
West Coast
Reggae/ Ska
Dancehall
Dub
Other Reggae/ Ska
Popular
Roots
Ska
Religious/ New Age
Rock
Alternative
Classic
Country
Doo Wop/ 50s Rock 'n' Roll
Elvis
Folk
Glam
Gothic
Grunge
Hard
New Wave
Other Rock
Progressive
Psychedelic/ 60s Garage
Punk
Rockabilly
Soft
Soundtracks/ Themes
Film
Musicals
Other Soundtracks/ Themes
TV
Spoken Word
World Music
Other Records
A full size orchestra (about 104 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 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 leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty members; some are much smaller than that.
Instrumentation and proportions
The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments, generally appearing in the musical score in the following order (with proportions indicated):
the woodwinds: 2 flutes*, piccolo, 2 oboes*, cor anglais, 2 clarinets*, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons*, contrabassoon;
the brass: 2* to 6 horns*, 2* to 5 trumpets*, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba;
the percussion: timpani*, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, celesta, etc.;
the strings: harp(s), 16 to 30 (or more) violins*, 8 to 12 (or more) violas*, 8 to 12 (or more) cellos*, 5 to 8 (or more) double basses*, and piano, .;
Occasionally, traditional wind ensemble instruments appear, such as the saxophone and euphonium.;
Instruments (and their minimum number) marked with an asterisk are considered "core" symphonic instruments, and only in rarest of cases are not called for in most symphonic literature. 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 a large number of strings, usually include the phrase "for large orchestra" in their full titles. Example: Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.
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 in his symphonic works. With the exception of his Fourth Symphony and Violin Concerto (which specify the singular Flauto), the composer's instrumentation almost always included paired flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets. The expansion of this particular timbral "palette" in Symphonies 3, 5, 6, and 9 is carefully calculated by Beethoven for an innovative effect. The third horn in the "Eroica" Symphony arrives to provide not only some harmonic flexibility, but also the effect of "choral" brass in the Trio. Piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones add to the triumphal finale of his opus 67. A piccolo and a pair of trombones help deliver storm and sunshine in the Sixth. The Ninth asks for a second pair of horns, for reasons similar to the Eroica; Beethoven's use of piccolo, contrabassoon, trombones, and unpitched percussion – plus chorus and vocal solists – in his finale, are his earliest suggestion that the timbral boundaries of "symphony" might be expanded for good. But for several decades after his departure, symphonic instrumentation was faithful to Beethoven's well-established model, with few exceptions.
Read more at Wikipedia.org
|
|
