• What is an Orchestra?

    Orchestra, instrumental ensemble of varying size and composition. Although applied to various ensembles found in Western and non-Western music, orchestra in an unqualified sense usually refers to the typical Western music ensemble of bowed  complemented by  and  that, in the string section at least, has more than one player per part. The word stems from the Greek ´Ç°ù³¦³óŧ²õ³Ù°ù²¹, the circular part of the ancient Greek theatre in front of the  in which the dancers and instrumentalists performed.

    Antecedents of the modern symphony orchestra appeared about 1600, the most notable early example being the ensemble required in the Italian composer  opera Orfeo. In the late 17th century, the French composer  directed for the royal court an orchestra dominated by stringed instruments but including , such as  and , and sometimes also  and . In the 18th century in Germany,  and other composers in what is known as the  established the basic composition of the modern symphony orchestra: four sections, consisting of woodwinds (flutes, oboes, and bassoons),  (horns and ),  (two ), and strings (first and second , ,, and ).  were adopted into the orchestra during this period, while earlier mainstays, such as the , , and  (a bass lute), were gradually phased out.

    The 19th century was a fertile period for the orchestra. Woodwinds were increased from two to typically three or four of each instrument, and the brass section was augmented by a third trumpet, third and fourth horns, and the inclusion of. Composers such as , , , and—into the 20th century—, , and  postulated, and in many instances created, orchestras of unprecedented size and tonal resources. The large orchestra typical of the late 19th through the mid-20th century incorporated an average of 100 performers and might include a wide variety of instruments and devices required in specific works. In the 1920s, however, many composers began to turn toward smaller, , sometimes maintaining and sometimes discarding the traditional instrumental complements.

    *Encyclopedia Britannica 2019
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