The Big Five orchestras of the United States are the five symphony orchestras that led the field in "musical excellence, calibre of musicianship, total contract weeks, weekly basic wages, recording guarantees, and paid vacations" when the term gained currency in the late 1950s and for some years afterwards.
A conductor usually supplements their direction with verbal instructions to their musicians in rehearsal. ... Conductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct.
The short answer is: there is no difference at all. They are different names for the same thing, that is, a full-sized orchestra of around 100 musicians, intended primarily for a symphonic repertoire.
A symphony or philharmonic 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.
Instruments of the OrchestraString family. Violin. Viola [vee-OH-lah] Cello (violoncello) [CHEL-low] ... Woodwind family. Flute, Piccolo. Oboe, English horn. Clarinet, Bass clarinet. ... Brass family. Trumpet. Horn (French horn) Trombone. ... Keyboards and Harp. Celesta [cheh-LESS-tah] Piano. Harpsichord.
Composers such as Hector Berlioz, Richard Wagner, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, and—into the 20th century—Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, and Igor Stravinsky postulated, and in many instances created, orchestras of unprecedented size and tonal resources.
The Banjo-Orchestra is comprised of piano, banjo, snare drum, tambourine, triangle, wood block, castanets, bass drum, and cymbal.
Q: What is the difference between an orchestra and a concert band? A: The most obvious difference between the ensembles is the instruments that call the ensemble home. Violins, violas, cellos and basses make up the majority of an orchestra, while a concert band is made up of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.
Within the orchestra the piano usually supports the harmony, but it has another role as a solo instrument (an instrument that plays by itself), playing both melody and harmony.
The section principal in an orchestra, as well as any large musical ensemble, is the lead player for each respective section of instruments. For example, there are multiple sections in an orchestra. ... The principal for each section is normally the most skilled and valuable player, selected through an audition process.
Triangle, percussion instrument consisting of a steel rod bent into a triangle with one corner left open. A single stroke on the triangle clearly penetrates the full force of an orchestra, and it is perhaps most effective when used sparingly. ...
A modern full-scale symphony orchestra consists of approximately one hundred permanent musicians, most often distributed as follows: 16–18 1st violins, 16 2nd violins, 12 violas, 12 cellos, 8 double basses, 4 flutes (one with piccolo as a specialty), 4 oboes (one with English horn as a specialty), 4 clarinets (one with ...
Brass - trumpet, horn, trombone, tuba, euphonium. Percussion - xylophone, marimba, glockenspiel, bongos, maracas, triangle. Keyboard - 1 piano 6 hands, 2 pianos 8 hands, piano, organ, toy piano, piano accordion, harpsichord. Choral ensemble - 3-8 vocalists with one singer per part (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)
If the string section is the most defining of the orchestra, the violins are generally the most defining members of the string family (don't tell the cellists). The violins carry the melody, particularly the first violins. The second violins will often support the first violins' harmony by playing it in a lower pitch.
The Baroque period was between the years 1600 and 1750. Key features included small orchestras, with often a focus on the harpsichord or string instruments, and often polyphonic textures. Example composers would be Bach or Handel. The Classical period came after, between the years 1750 and 1820.
Orchestras play a wide range of repertoire, including symphonies, opera and ballet overtures, concertos for solo instruments, and as pit ensembles for operas, ballets, and some types of musical theatre (e.g., Gilbert and Sullivan operettas).