Orchestra 101

ORCHESTRA 101 THE WORD ITSELF Symphony is the Greek word for “sounding together”. Philharmonic is from the Greek word for “music-loving”. The only difference between the two words is that symphony orchestra can also be used as a generic term, while philharmonic orchestra only occurs as part of a proper name. THE HISTORY The first instrumental groups that could be called orchestras were assembled for Italian opera in the early 1600s, but throughout the Baroque period (ca. 1600–1750) the makeup of orchestras, whether for opera or for purely instrumental music, varied widely. In any particular city, or for any particular occasion, the size and constitution of the orchestra usually depended on the forces — and the money — available. Baroque composers often didn't even specify which instruments, or how many, would be required to perform their pieces. By the mid-eighteenth century, orchestral instrumentation had become standardized to a great extent, partly as a result of the example set by the famous orchestra of Mannheim, Germany. The Mannheim Orchestra, reputed to be the best in all of Europe, normally consisted of strings — first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses — and two each of flutes, oboes, bassoons, French horns, and trumpets, along with two timpani. This formation, which was enlarged later in the century by the addition of clarinets, became the foundation for the modern orchestra.* THE PLAYERS A full-sized modern orchestra consists of more than one hundred musicians usually playing anywhere from eighteen to twenty-five different kinds of instruments. The instruments are divided into four overall “sections”: the strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Within these sections there are groups of instruments that are also called “sections”: the viola section is part of the string section, for example, and the trumpet section is part of the brass section. Here is how the sections break down, with LSO’s current standard number of players per section: Strings 12 First Violins 10 Second Violins 8 Violas 8 Cellos 6 Double Basses Woodwinds 3 Flutes (one specializing in piccolo) 3 Oboes (one specializing in English horn) 3 Clarinets (one specializing in bass clarinet) 3 Bassoons (one specializing in contrabassoon) Brass 4 French horns 3 Trumpets 3 Trombones (one specializing in bass trombone) 1 Tuba Percussion 1 Timpani 2 other percussion (These include such instruments as snare drum, bass drum, triangle, cymbals, glockenspiel, chimes, xylophone, celesta, and tam-tam.) 1 Piano 1 Harp Because most orchestra members play sitting down, a person's position in an orchestra is called a “chair.” The player who occupies the “first chair” in a section is called the “principal” of that section. The first-chair oboist is called the “principal oboe” (or “principal oboist”), for example, and the first-chair cellist is called the “principal cello” (or “principal cellist”). The first-chair player of the first violin section, however, is called the “concertmaster,” and has special responsibilities. In general, the responsibilities of the principal players include playing the orchestral solos that are written for their instrument, setting the style and tone for their section, and leading their section by setting high standards of beauty, accuracy, and rhythmic reliability.* THE SEATING CHART HORNS TRUMPETS TROMBONES TUBA PIANO CLARINETS BASSOONS HARP TIMPANI FLUTES OBOES PERCUSSION BASSES 2ND V IOLINS VIOLAS 1ST VIOLINS CELLOS CONDUCTOR THE REPERTOIRE Symphony: Although its definition has evolved over the last hundred years, the Classical symphony is a large-scale orchestral work that usually consisted of four distinct and separate movements. The first and last movements would have a relatively fast tempo; the second would be slow and the third would in the form of a minuet or scherzo (both dances). Concerto: Work for one or more solo instruments accompanied by orchestra, often in three movements. Suite: In music, a suite is an organized set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed at a single sitting. In the Baroque era, the pieces are all in the same key, and generally modeled after dance music. In the eighteenth century suites were also known as overtures. Serenade: A piece for evening performance; suggests a piece of music in honour of someone or something. THE PREPARATION Eight weeks prior to the first rehearsal, the librarian receives the parts from the publisher. He gives the first violin part to the concertmaster, who marks in bowings. His part is then photocopied and given to the other string principals, who mark their parts to mirror his bowings. The librarian copies these markings into all other string parts and puts any other necessary editing into the parts. After all of this is completed, each musician receives his/her part two weeks prior to the first rehearsal. By the time they arrive at the first rehearsal, they have prepared their part. During rehearsals, the concertmaster often makes changes to the bowings to better achieve the result that the conductor is hoping for. For each classical concert, LSO holds four rehearsals, each 2-1/2 hours long. The guest soloist is present at the final two rehearsals. For LSO’s family concerts, we only hold one rehearsal. *Excerpts taken from The NPR® Classical Music Companion: Terms and Concepts from A to Z by Miles Hoffman, published by Houghton Mifflin Company . Copyright © 1997 by Miles Hoffman and National Public Radio . .

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