What is the leader and heart of the orchestra?

Answer:

Explanation: Lyrical and bouncy; sharp and mellow; sweet, plaintive and joyous: Strings can beautifully convey each of these, and this is why they are the heart of any orchestra. In the hands of a master performer, a stringed instrument can make you giggle one minute and weep the next.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the oldest major symphony orchestra in the United States?

The New York Philharmonic

What role do the brass instruments play in the classical orchestra?

This family of instruments can play louder than any other in the orchestra and can also be heard from far away. ... Like the woodwind family, brass players use their breath to produce sound, but instead of blowing into a reed, you vibrate your own lips by buzzing them against a metal cup-shaped mouthpiece.

Who are the main composers of orchestra music in the 20th century?

10 of the best 20th-century composersEdward Elgar (1857–1934) ... Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958) ... Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) ... Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) ... William Grant Still (1895-1978) ... Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975) ... Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) ... Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990)More items...

Who is the first orchestra conductor?

Did you know that Jean-Baptiste Lully, the first documented conductor, was the first musician to use a baton. It was a heavy, six-foot-long staff that he pounded on the ground in time to the music.

How many orchestras does the BBC have?

Five orchestras

Do orchestras have organs?

But Hutchison sits alone at the organ on stage. ... But today, Hutchison says, most major concert halls have a Romantic, symphonic-style organ, and several new organ concertos have emerged in the past five years, so the instrument has potential to become more prominent in the orchestral setting.

23 Related Question Answers Found:

What is the smallest family in the orchestra?

The strings are the largest family of instruments in the orchestra and they come in four sizes: the violin, which is the smallest, viola, cello, and the biggest, the double bass, sometimes called the contrabass.

Why is there a conductor in an orchestra?

The primary responsibilities of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble, and to control the interpretation and pacing of the music. ... Typically, orchestral conductors use a baton more often than choral conductors.

Why school students benefit hugely from playing in an orchestra?

Offers benefits to eye-hand coordination as well as increased cognitive skills such as concentration and visual recognition. Studies indicate that this tends to give kids who participate in orchestra programs higher success in other learning areas like math and reading.

What is the name of the rock orchestra?

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Origin Tampa, Florida, United StatesGenresSymphonic metal progressive rock heavy metal Christmas hard rock neoclassical metalYears active1996 – present Labels Lava Atlantic Rhino Republic

Is balcony or orchestra seats better?

The word "balcony" has a certain nose-bleed connotation, and ticket buyers are less spooked by the word "mezzanine." Front mezzanine seats are usually as good as orchestra seats, sometimes better, depending on the show. For a show with a visual sweep or intricate choreography, you might be better off in the mezzanine.

Why are there more violins in an orchestra?

For large symphony orchestras, there are 10 First Violinists and the same number of Second Violinists. There are about 10 singers for viola, 8 for cello and 6 for double bass. The reason that the number of violinists is so high is due to the characteristics of the violin itself and the preference of the composers.

Did Beethoven enlarge the orchestra?

One of the aspects of Beethoven's influence on latergenerations is the topic of this research: the way that his Symphonies (indeed one of the major vehicles of his musical expression) expanded symphonic music and, as a consequence, changed the orchestra.

Why does orchestra warm up before a performance?

For most musicians, the practice room and the stage are, performatively speaking, light years away, and warming up onstage is a way for a musician to sneak in for herself a little bit of a dress rehearsal, to perform before an (assembling) audience while tricking herself into thinking she isn't really performing.

What is a Chinese orchestra called?

The China National Traditional Orchestra (CNTO) (Chinese: 中国 中央 民族 乐团 or 中央 民族 乐团; also called China National Orchestra) is a 110-piece orchestra of traditional Chinese musical instruments with an accompanying folk choir.

What is it like to be in an orchestra?

Playing in an orchestra is very demanding physically and mentally. Are you currently in good health and capable of holding your instrument for three hours or more at a time, seven or eight times a week, 30 to 44 weeks a year (this is the life of an orchestral string player)?

What is the country of orchestra?

The word derives from the ancient Greek part of a stage where instruments and the chorus combined music and drama to create theater. The first semblance of a modern orchestra came in the early 17th century when the Italian opera composer Claudio Monteverdi formally assigned specific instruments to perform his music.