What are the four families in the orchestra?

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Answer:

Each instrument has unique characteristics, such as the different ways they produce a sound, the materials used to create them, and their overall appearance. These characteristics ultimately divide instruments into four families: woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which string instrument is the highest and generally has the melody in an orchestra?

Violin

What are the orchestra drums called?

The most common percussion instruments in the orchestra include the timpani, xylophone, cymbals, triangle, snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, maracas, gongs, chimes, celesta, and piano.

What is the plural for orchestra?

Orchestras

How does the orchestra generate most of their money?

The majority of orchestras' earned income is generated by performance and other related activities. ... There is some variation within this overall figure: both the largest and the smallest budget orchestras produced a higher percentage of earned income than that characterizing the mid-sized orchestras.

What is the oldest philharmonic orchestra?

New York Philharmonic, symphony orchestra based in New York, New York, the oldest major symphony orchestra in the United States in continual existence and one of the oldest in the world.

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What are the types of orchestra?

Two basic orchestras exist—chamber orchestras (small!) and symphony orchestras (big!). Chamber orchestras employ about 50 or fewer musicians (who may all play strings).

How old are orchestras?

People have been putting instruments together in various combinations for millennia, but it wasn't un- til about 400 years ago that musicians started forming combinations that would eventually turn into the modern orchestra. Around 1600 in Italy, the composer Claudio Monteverdi changed that.

What does a director of an orchestra do?

Music directors are experienced conductors who shape their orchestra's musical identity by selecting the performance repertoire for the season, molding the musical performances in rehearsal, hiring new players, commissioning new pieces from composers, soliciting guest conductors, and organizing ongoing community ...

Is a piano in an orchestra?

The piano is an entire orchestra in itself – but sometimes its sound is a part of the big symphony orchestra. Inside the shell the piano strings are strung on an iron frame that looks almost like a harp. ...

Who came up with the word orchestra?

The term orchestra derives from the Greek ὀρχήστρα (orchestra), the name for the area in front of a stage in ancient Greek theatre reserved for the Greek chorus.

How is the piano used in an orchestra?

The piano, in common with two other percussion instruments, cannot be played in an orchestral ensemble without being recognised. But, unlike those others, it happens to possess the capacity of all key- board instruments for rendering full melodic, harmonic and contra- puntal effects.

How large is a small orchestra?

In context, a chamber orchestra refers to an orchestra (a group of musicians) who play in rooms rather than full-sized concert halls. The acoustic limitations mean that chamber orchestras are smaller (up to 50 musicians) as opposed to a full orchestra (around 100).

What is a semi professional orchestra?

Semi-professional orchestras are a different matter. They are not full time jobs but will require a much higher level of skill and experience than amateur orchestras. You would need to have mastered your instrument and pass an audition when an opening is available.

Who is the best orchestra in the world?

Welcome to Gramophone ...8 Los Angeles Philharmonic. ... 7 Cleveland Orchestra. ... 6 Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra. ... 5 Chicago Symphony Orchestra. ... 4 London Symphony Orchestra. ... 3 Vienna Philharmonic. ... 2 Berlin Philharmonic. ... 1 Royal Concertgebouw.

What instruments make up a classical orchestra?

The Classical orchestra came to consist of strings (first and second violins, violas, violoncellos, and double basses), two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, two or four horns, two trumpets, and two timpani.