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.
The modern symphony orchestra contains four main sections: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.
ConductorsConductors act as guides to the orchestras or choirs they conduct. They choose the works to be performed and study their scores, to which they may make certain adjustments (such as in tempo, articulation, phrasing, repetitions of sections), work out their interpretation, and relay their vision to the performers.
Among some of the CSO's renowned principal players have been Adolph “Bud” Herseth (trumpet), Dale Clevenger and Philip Farkas (horn), Frank Crisafulli (trombone) and Arnold Jacobs (tuba), who are still internationally recognized as some of the greatest brass players in history.
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Lithuanian Armed Forces Headquarters BandLithuanian Armed Forces Headquarters Band Lietuvos kariuomenės orkestrasThe shoulder patch of the orchestraActive4 September 1991CountryLithuaniaAllegianceLithuania.
In the 1950s, Stravinsky adopted serial procedures. His compositions of this period shared traits with examples of his earlier output: rhythmic energy, the construction of extended melodic ideas out of a few two- or three-note cells, and clarity of form and instrumentation.
You may be surprised that the saxophone is not here. This is the one instrument that is always found in bands and wind ensembles, but only very rarely plays in the orchestra. Although flutes may be made of wood, the orchestral flute is usually made of metal. It also does not have a reed.
Students wishing to become a music conductor for a symphony orchestra typically need to have a master's degree. Master's degree programs in conducting are commonly offered as Master of Music (MM) degrees and may allow students to focus on a specific area, such as choral, wind, or orchestral conducting.
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.
An orchestra tunes itself to a very particular frequency, usually 440 hertz, a note known as A 440. The note is played by the oboist, and the rest of the orchestra tunes their instruments to match it. The oboe leads the tuning because of all the instruments, it is least affected by humidity or other weather conditions.
Aria A song for solo voice with orchestral accompaniment is called an aria.
It could be as few as five or six mics or up to as many as 18 or 20.
The answer, of course is: it varies. Most composers who have musical training behind them will generally write out a paper sketch indicating what instruments are playing, and so on. This is given to the orchestrator, who will then write out the individual parts for the ensemble playing the film score.
Concerto, plural concerti or concertos, since about 1750, a musical composition for instruments in which a solo instrument is set off against an orchestral ensemble.
The woodwind family of instruments includes, from the highest sounding instruments to the lowest, the piccolo, flute, oboe, English horn, clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon and contrabassoon.
The leader or one member of the group acts as conductor, whilst the rest of the group are the 'orchestra'. Using their voices (and body percussion if appropriate!), the group paints a soundscape of a particular theme or mood, for example the seaside, a city, a jungle.
This nine-piece group was known for its legendary soloists including, Joe Keyes and Oran 'Hot Lips' Page on trumpet, Buster Smith and Earle Warren on alto saxophone, Lester Young on tenor saxophone, Dan Minor on trombone, and a rhythm section made up of Jo Jones on drums, Walter Page on bass and Basie on piano.
You can play wonderful sustained chords with the whole orchestra. You can play the low strings, the mid strings, the high strings or all together on four different sections of your master keyboard. ... Playing with low velocity triggers the major chord, playing with high velocity triggers the minor chord.
47 strings The harp is different from the other stringed instruments. It's tall, about six feet, shaped a little like the number 7, and has 47 strings of varying lengths, which are tuned to the notes of the white keys of the piano. There are usually one or two harps in an orchestra and they play both melody and harmony.
Orchestras are set up in so that everyone, especially section leaders, can see the conductor. The balance of volume for the audience is actually the principal reason for the seating. Percussion and Brass are louder so they get put to the back. Context plays a huge role for the set up.
Bavarian Radio Symphony OrchestraSir Simon, who turns 66 next week, will become Chief Conductor of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, in Munich, in 2023. He will succeed Mariss Jansons, who died in December 2019. Sir Simon had been expected to remain with the London Symphony, and his departure is considered a blow.
How much you can make as a classical musician varies wildly. According to the American Federation of Musicians or AFM, Toronto branch, hourly rates for orchestral musicians start at $106 for the leader and $53 per hour for what they call side players, with a three-hour minimum. That's scale for a freelance gig.
Generally, orchestras with fewer than 50 members are called “chamber orchestras," while full-size orchestras of 50 to 100 musicians are called “symphony orchestras" or “philharmonic orchestras."
Jeans, slacks or other informal attire are also acceptable at the evening concert. If you're making a special evening of it, wear a nice shirt and slacks or dress and heels to the evening concert. Don't forget a jacket or wrap suited for cold temperatures when the concert lets out late at night.