The Foundations of an Orchestra

An orchestra is the most popular instrumental ensemble, dating back to the 17th century and consisting of four basic groups of instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. An ensemble with all four of these groups can be called a symphony or philharmonic orchestra. Symphony orchestras can range in size depending on instrumentation or repertoire, but they typically consist of between 70 and 100 musicians.

Strings make up the majority of an orchestra, and within the string section, there are four instruments: the violin, viola, cello, and bass. The violinists sit on the left side of the conductor and are split into first and second violins. Violins are the highest-pitched string instrument, and they have the largest range of abilities, so they usually have the melodic parts of the repertoire and other sections are dependent on them. The principal violinist, the leading player of the first violin section, is called the concertmaster. Violas sit toward the middle of the stage and are the middle voice of the string section; they are between the violins and the cellos. The cellos sit on the right side of the conductor and are the mid-to-low voice of the strings. The basses, who stand behind the cello section, are the lowest of the four instruments. The string section can also include a harpist, who stands alone.

The woodwind section, seated in rows behind the strings in the center of the stage, is made up of flutes, oboes, clarinets, and bassoons. The woodwinds add sparkle to orchestral repertoire and typically are the highest voices. Woodwind parts in orchestras tend to be both difficult and competitive, as there is typically only one player to a part, and the parts are written in a way that brings out the nature of the instrument; for example, piccolo parts (in the flute section) are often written in the third octave and are technically challenging, as the piccolo is known for its sparkly and brilliant sound.

The brass section, seated behind the woodwinds (usually on risers), consists of trumpets and/or cornets, French horns, trombones, and tubas. The brass section is known for being powerful and fanfare-like, again due to the nature of the instruments, and is also one player to a part. The brass carries the rich and full sounds of a symphony orchestra.

The percussion section is often overlooked, yet very important. It consists of pitched instruments (such as the timpani, keyboard, bells, and glockenspiel) and unpitched instruments (such as the bass drum, snare drum, and cymbals). Percussion is located all the way in the back of the stage. Percussion parts range in importance among composers and eras, but has been a main division of the orchestra for centuries.

The conductor of an orchestra is arguably the most important person in the ensemble. He/she stands on a podium overlooking the ensemble and not only conducts to keep time, but acts as a teacher for the instrumentalists when rehearsing the music and determines the interpretation of the repertoire.

While most orchestras are larger than 70 players and contain all four instrument groups, there are smaller ensembles such as chamber orchestras that have a few players to a part and often play without a conductor. Chamber orchestras often specialize in music from the Baroque era, such as that of Bach or Handel, or classical repertoire by Mozart or Haydn, while larger orchestras specialize in music from the Romantic era such as the symphonies of Brahms and Beethoven.

Orchestral music has become decreasingly popular in our society, but will remain important in the history of music as a whole. Almost every city in the world has a performing symphony or chamber orchestra, and music is still being written by modern composers today.