45 Orchestra Facts: Learn About This Large Instrumental Ensemble

Orchestras have been around for centuries, and continue to be popular today but what is an orchestra, exactly?

An orchestra is a large, instrumental ensemble that typically consists of strings, brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments. Orchestra has been around for centuries and is undoubtedly one of the most popular forms of music in the world.

Interestingly, in the western world, orchestras are also referred to as 'philharmonic orchestra' or 'symphony orchestra'. Orchestras need at least 15 members to be officially qualified as an orchestra and eventually, the number of members in an orchestra depends upon the need; it can vary anywhere from 70-120 musicians.

Orchestras typically perform classical music, but they can also play other types of music such as jazz, pop, and rock. Many orchestras are associated with a particular orchestra hall or concert hall where they regularly perform.

The orchestra is generally led by a man who controls the tempo, dynamics, and articulation of the orchestra’s performance, he is known as the conductor.

At the lower levels, you can also see community and youth orchestras, which generally comprise amateur musicians, belonging to schools. Scroll down for many facts about this form of music and its players.

History And Origin Of Orchestra

The concept of the orchestra began to develop and popularize around the 17th century, and by the mid 19th century, modern orchestras had been introduced, which had some differences from the older, classical ones. Originally, orchestras are believed to date back to ancient Greek times.

The term 'orchestra' that we use today finds its traces back to ancient Greek culture.

The term meant 'dancing place', referring to the semi-circular stage in front of the stage.

Eventually, with the advent of time, the word did not refer to the place anymore.

Now, it signifies the musicians who were a part of the orchestra.

Did you know, early on during the Baroque era, there was no standard size of an orchestra?

In some orchestras, there was only one person who played a part.

However, in some other orchestras, there were many players for each part.

For instance, Corelli's orchestra consisted of 35-80 players for daily performances.

However, on special occasions, there were as many as 150 players.

It is believed that back in the day, people including the likes of Beethoven and Claudio Monteverdi played a pivotal role in the development of orchestra culture.

Violins and harpsichord were some of the early instruments in an orchestra.

Many of the instruments that we see in a modern orchestra were introduced in the later years that followed.

Orchestras began to grow as the size of an orchestra increased.

They played at larger halls, with many more instruments, and didn't only specify in playing classical music.

Ever since the introduction of the recording era, it is believed that the standard of performance has increased.

The players now need to be perfect else any drawbacks can easily be figured out.

Instruments Of An Orchestra

It is the integration of various instruments which is the highlight of an orchestra. Instruments had been accessible to humans for ages before the introduction of the orchestra, but it is the combination of all instruments which is regarded as the key to success behind a successful orchestra.

Let us take a look at the instruments which can well be regarded as the major pillar of a successful orchestra.

All the instruments that are played in an orchestra are divided into four different districts with each group having a 'boss'.

The four different districts are woodwind, percussion, strings, and bass.

Did you know, the string family of an orchestra occupies the biggest section but has only five different instruments?

String groups are responsible for forming the music's basic playing for most of the part.

The instruments played include violin, harp, cello, double bass, and viola.

The first and the second violins in an orchestra play two different notes with the first ones having the tune.

The woodwind family follows the string family and sits behind them.

The woodwind family comprises five wind instruments: the saxophone, clarinets, flutes, bassoons, and oboes.

The woodwind family is also home to the smallest instrument of the orchestra, the piccolo.

Next up is the brass family which has four different sections.

The sections are the trumpet, tuba, French horn, and trombones.

These instruments come in different sizes and it depends upon the conductor, as to which to play when.

Interestingly, a large orchestra often has different kinds of tubas depending upon the size, the large ones are known as contrabass tubas and the smaller ones, euphonium.

The largest and the last family is the percussion family which has two kinds of instruments, non-tuned percussion instruments, and tuned ones.

The most commonly used percussion instrument is the timpani.

The Orchestra Today

The current day symphony orchestra is pretty different from the days when the orchestra was initially invented. From the location where the orchestra events are organized to the form in which they are recorded, orchestra culture has undergone a drastic change.

Unlike previous times, these days large orchestras with several musicians can be seen performing in massive stadiums at open-air concerts.

At the same time, there are orchestras that record their performance in specialized studios for use in a movie or a music CD.

Although some classic orchestra bands still perform at massive concert halls or at opera houses, coordinating with a ballet performance at times.

Did you know, many opera houses across the world have their own permanent orchestras?

These include dedicated players of the trumpet, the keyboard, flutes, violins, clarinets, trombones, and other instruments as well.

Some such opera houses with their own orchestras include the likes of La Scala, the Royal Opera House, and the Metropolitan Opera House.

Some of the most well renowned, present-day orchestras are the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and many others as well.

Oldest Orchestras In The World

Orchestras have now been known to mankind for more than a couple of centuries. We now understand the difference between an orchestra and an ensemble of a number of instruments.

Interestingly, there are several orchestras that are believed to be functional to date which originated centuries earlier. Let us take a look at some of the oldest orchestras from all across the world.

One of the most famous, and arguably the oldest orchestra in the world, is the Copenhagen: The Royal Danish Orchestra, whose origins can be traced back to the mid 15th century.

The Royal Danish Orchestra is believed to have had around 1,000 members ever since it began recruiting musicians in the 15th century.

Weimar Hofkapelle is an orchestra that is believed to have originated in 1491.

Some of the other orchestras whose origins go back to the early and mid 16th century include the likes of Kassel Hofkapelle, Stockholm : Kungliga Hovkapellet, and Dresden Hofkapelle.

Orchestra groups such as Karlsruhe, Leipzig Gewandhausorchester, and Mannheim are also regarded as some of the oldest in the world.

Interestingly, particularly in the United States, the orchestra group the New York Philharmonic is considered as one of the oldest symphony orchestra groups in the U.S.

FAQs

What are the four main instruments in the orchestra?

There are various instruments that are perfectly coordinated in an orchestra but primarily, there are four instruments in every orchestra. These four instruments include the likes of brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion.

What is the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States?

The New York Philharmonic orchestra is not only known as the oldest symphony orchestra in the United States but also one of the oldest orchestras all across the world.

What has been described as the oldest orchestra in the world?

Across the entire world, it is the Copenhagen: The Royal Danish Orchestra which is undisputedly regarded as the world's oldest orchestra, with its very first musician recruitments dating back to 1448.

What is the smallest instrument in an orchestra?

Often ignored due to size, the piccolo is the smallest of all the instruments in an orchestra. The piccolo looks like a flute and performs the same but is a lot smaller in size.