The twentieth century orchestra has been enormously varied in line-up, constitution and purpose. Many large ensembles, representing all kinds of musical styles and aesthetics, have adopted the name 'orchestra' as opposed to 'band' or 'ensemble'. The 'classical' orchestra, with its large body of strings, remains probably the defining configuration, but even this has been altered and expanded in ways unimaginable in the 19th century. Such orchestras perform film and television music, as well as concert music, and their repertoire encompasses a great range of styles and historical periods. ...[more]
19th Century
The expansion and development of artistic expression that characterizes the Romantic era is reflected in the orchestra. However, it is important to bear in mind that technological advances were crucial to enabling this growth. String instruments were redesigned to a different bow pattern (Tourte) and with greater string tension. Theobald Boehm redesigned the flute, oboe and clarinet to a system that is still in common usage today. Brass instruments acquired valves, giving them chromatic capabilities. All these developments enabled a more powerful sound and more lyrical expression. However, the new instruments only gradually appeared in orchestras through the 19th Century. ...[more]
Classical
Although the term 'classical' is commonly used to describe all orchestral music, in European musicology it has a quite specific meaning, referring to the period between about 1750 and 1820. By the end of the 18th Century, the instrumental line-up of the orchestra had become standardised as follows: 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 (or 4) Horns, 2 Trumpets, Timpani, Strings....[more]
Baroque
Baroque orchestras generally used a four-part string section. The flute replaced the recorder, purely because of the greater penetration of the flute sound. Oboes and bassoons were standard, and a pair of horns also became normal. However, much depended upon the instruments and players that were available at the time, so Bach's orchestras tended to have a variable line-up. For example, the six cantatas that make up the Christmas Oratorio of 1734 call for an unusual orchestra, comprising: ...[more]
Pre-Baroque
The first appearance of an 'orchestra' in the Western World was in approximately the 6th Century B.C. in Ancient Greece, but no musical instruments were involved. The word 'orchestra' denoted a large semicircular space for dancing in Attic, or Greek, theatre. The chorus in Greek theatre was vital to both plot and dramatic action, providing a commentary and dialogue with the main characters in the drama. They stood in the orchestra area, and both sang and danced. ...[more]