Which family of instruments has the most players in the orchestra?

Answer:

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is orchestra a Greek word?

The word orchestra comes from the actual space in which an orchestra plays; the Greek orkhestra means "a space where a chorus of dancers performs," from orkheisthai, "to dance."

Who organized the Original Creole Orchestra in Los Angeles?

Original Creole Orchestra. Sometime in either late 1911 or early 1912, bassist Bill Johnson, who had been making his career in Los Angeles, California since 1909, started the initiative to organize an "Original Creole Ragtime Band" to play the New Orleans style across the country.

What is the difference between choir and orchestra?

Is that chorus is a group of singers and dancers in the religious festivals of ancient greece while orchestra is (music) a large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.

Which instruments are transposing instruments in the orchestra?

Transposing musical instrument, instrument that produces a higher or lower pitch than indicated in music written for it. Examples include clarinets, the English horn, and saxophones. Musical notation written for transposing instruments shows the relative pitches, rather than the exact pitches, produced.

What language is Orchestra Baobab?

Senegalese

What section of an orchestra does a piano belong?

Percussion

18 Related Question Answers Found:

What's the difference between a big band and an orchestra?

An orchestra is a large group of musicians which can include even 100 or more members. A band is a small group of musicians which generally includes a lesser number of members than orchestras. Orchestras use four main families of instruments – strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Which instrument is called the leader and the heart of orchestra?

From the outset, the violin family was a favorite of musicians and composers alike for its range, flexibility, and sound. The violin family of instruments consists of four members, each a standard member of the orchestra: violins, violas, cellos, and double basses.

What is the lowest pitched instrument in the orchestra?

The double bass is the biggest and lowest pitched instrument in the string family. The deep, very low sounds of the double bass are often used to help hold together the harmonies and to help carry the rhythm. There are 6-8 double basses in an orchestra. A standard double bass is just over 6 feet in length.

Is first chair in orchestra?

First chair, or principal player, is second only to the conductor or maestro in an ensemble. It is the chair quite literally closest to the conductor in each section. ... In a large orchestra ensemble, the concertmaster, or first violinist, gives a subtle mark to the first oboist, who tunes each section with an “A” pitch.

Are guitars in an orchestra?

Guitars are not included in orchestra due to many reasons. First one, the tradition. That's just the way it was, and it is today still. Second, guitars don't blend particularly well with the rest of the orchestra, due to sound characteristics.

What are orchestra shows called?

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).

What is the form of Britten Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra?

That fugues were especially popular during Purcell's lifetime—in the Baroque era—makes Britten's choice of fugue form particularly suitable to his source material. Beginning with flutes and piccolo, each instrument states the new melody in turn as overlapping layers of music gradually emerge.

Is the saxophone often used in a symphony orchestra?

The most commonly given reason for why saxophones are rarely used in orchestral pieces is because they were invented much later than the standard orchestra. This argument doesn't hold up though, because tuba was invented around the same time and is now a staple instrument of the brass section.

What makes a gamelan orchestra unique?

The gamelan ensemble is made up of sixteen bronze xylophones, several gongs and gong-chimes, drums, cymbals, and bamboo flutes—over forty instruments in total. ... Each gamelan ensemble functions as one gigantic instrument, with its own unique timbre and tuning.

Who conducts the Vienna Philharmonic orchestra?

Even more remarkable, these were the first concerts in the 180 year history of the Vienna Philharmonic devoted solely to film music....John Williams Conducts the Vienna Philharmonic at the Musikverein.1The Flight to Neverland - From "Hook"5:1313Raider's March - From "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark"5:.