What is an Orchestra and types of orchestra

An orchestra is a group of instrumentalists or musicians ensemble,

usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a
percussion section who are led by the conductor, accompany the singers.

Types of Orchestra
• A smaller sized orchestra of about fifty musicians or fewer) is called a
chamber orchestra

A full size orchestra of about 100 musicians may sometimes be called a

symphony orchestra or philharmonic orchestra
 Orchestra musicians seating chart
The orchestra has developed a fairly standard seating arrangement over the last few centuries,
whereby loud instruments are placed towards the back, quieter ones nearer the front and solo
instruments generally in the middle. The left-to-right placement of instruments is crucial to
achieve a good stereo balance, so that the overall sound field is never left- or right-heavy during
the performance.
 Musical instruments family forming an orchestra
Four different families of musical instruments are present in a symphony orchestra.
members of the families are 'related' by the similar ways in which they produce sound.
Strings Woodwinds
Violin Piccolo
Viola Flute
Cello Oboe
Double Bass English Horn
Harp Clarinet
Percussion Bassoon
Snare Drum Contrabassoon
Cymbals Saxophone
Bass Drum Brass
Tambourine Trumpet
Triangle Trombone
Castanets Tuba
Guiro French Horn
Xylophone Keyboards
Chimes Piano
Gong Harpsichord
Organ
 Musical instruments family, Strings - Violin
It is believed that the violin originated
from Italy in the early 1500s. It
evolved from the fiddle and rebec,
both were bowed string instruments
from the Medieval period.
It is Andrea Amati who is the known
developer of the violin. Amati
apprenticed as a lute maker and in
1525, he became a master instrument
maker.

Baroque and Classical Period - Johann

Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and
Ludwig van Beethoven
Romantic Period - Franz Schubert, Johannes
Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn, Robert Schumann
and Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
20th Century - Claude Debussy, Arnold
Schoenberg, Bela Bartok and Igor Stravinsky.
 Musical instruments family, Strings - Viola
The viola is an instrument in the violin family. It is slightly
larger than the violin with a deeper, mellower tone. It’s
tuned a fifth lower (although it is hard to distinguish from
a violin when played in an orchestra, unless it’s on the C
string). It parallels the human alto voice.
In early orchestra music, the viola’s role was merely
harmony.
The biggest differences between the viola and the smaller
violin come primarily from the viola's larger size.

Some famous works for the viola include viola sonatas by

Brahms, (Brahms' own transcriptions of his clarinet sonatas,
op.120) and the works of English composers such as Ralph
Vaughan Williams, (who studied the instrument)Benjamin
Britten, Frank Bridge, Rebecca Clarke, and Arnold Bax, who
used the unique tone of the instrument in their compositions
Musical instruments family, Strings - Cello
The cello, or violoncello, is the second largest member of the
VIOLIN family of musical instruments. It is tuned an octave below
the VIOLA and serves both as a melodic and bass instrument in
chamber and orchestral music. The earliest cellos were developed
during the 16th century and frequently were made with five
strings.

Joseph Haydn, Mozart, and later composers gave increased

prominence to the cello in instrumental ensembles. Notable works for
the instrument include J.S. Bach’s six suites for unaccompanied cello,
Beethoven’s five sonatas for cello and piano, the concertos of Antonin
Antonín Dvořák and Darius Milhaud, the sonatas of Zoltán Kodály and
Claude Debussy, and the Bachianas brasileiras of Heitor Villa-Lobos,
for eight cellos and soprano. One of the outstanding cellists of the
20th century was Pablo Casals.
Musical instruments family, Strings – Double Bass
The lowest-pitched member of the violin family,
sounding an octave lower than the cello. It has
two basic designs—one shaped like a viol (or
viola da gamba) and the other like a violin—but
there are other designs, such as that of a guitar.
It varies considerably in size, the largest
normally being under 6 feet (1.8 metres) in total
length

Ludwig van Beethoven and later

composers gave the bass increased
importance in the symphony orchestra.
Beethoven’s friend Domenico Dragonetti
and the conductor Serge Koussevitzky,
both skilled bassists, composed concerti
for the instrument.
Musical instruments family, Strings - Harp
Harps are played throughout much of the world; in
Africa alone, there are more than 150 distinct harp
traditions.
They have been represented in paintings in the tomb of
Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III (1198-1166 B.C.),

Harp weighs 34 kg and is 6 feet, 2

inches, or 188 cm tall

A harp is a stringed instrument which

has the plane of its strings positioned
perpendicular to the soundboard

Composers for the harp include

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Maurice
Ravel, Carlos Salzedo, and Heinz
Holliger.
 Musical instruments family, Percussion – Snare Drum
The snare drum joined the orchestra nearly 200
years ago. It has two calfskin or plastic drumheads
stretched tightly over a hollow metal frame.
The modern snare drum has a cylindrical shell of
wood, plywood, or metal 5–12 inches (13–30 cm)
high and 14–16 inches (35–40 cm) in diameter;
deeper models, called field or guard’s pattern drums,
are used in many military bands

The first conclusively documented

orchestral use of the snare drum was
by the French composer–viol virtuoso
Marin Marais in a storm scene in his
opera Alcyone (1706). It reappeared
in Rossini’s opera La gazza ladra
(1817; The Thieving Magpie) with a
solo part but did not become a
standard orchestral instrument until
its use by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov
and other Russian composers of the
late 19th century .
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Cymbals
Cymbals are thin metal disks that are
clashed together or struck with sticks to
produce a sound. They come in many
sizes. There are tiny finger cymbals,
and there are the large and deafening
orchestral cymbals. Cymbals can sound
soft and delicate, or loud and harsh.
They are used in almost every type of
music, from orchestral music to rock.

Cymbals are made of curved bronze disks.

They have a concave shape. This means that
each cymbal curves slightly inwards. The player
holds each cymbal through a strap attached to
the outside of the curved disc, at its center.
When two cymbals are struck together, their
edges vibrate freely. This produces a ringing
sound that makes big, loud chords in the
orchestra even more exciting!
 Musical instruments family, Percussion – Bass Drum
A bass drum is a large
drum that produces a note
of low definite or indefinite
pitch. There are three
general classifications of
bass drums: the concert
bass drum, the 'kick'
drum, and the pitched
bass drum. The type
usually seen or heard in
orchestral or concert band
music is the concert bass
drum

The composer Mozart added the deep, booming, untuned sound of the bass
drum to the orchestra in 1782. Constructed like a snare drum, but without
snares, the bass drum is much larger and is played on its side, so that either
head may be struck. The beater or mallet for a bass drum is large with a soft
material such as sheep's wool covering the end.
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Tambourine
The tambourine is a wooden hoop that has jingles attached. It is a small
frame drum (one whose shell is too narrow to resonate the sound) having one
or two skins nailed or glued to a shallow circular or polygonal frame It is
played by shaking, striking the rim, or rubbing the thumb around the head.

Though an ancient instrument, its structure has remained virtually unchanged.

There are, however, many variants among different cultures. The usage of a
tambourine in the orchestra will evoke images of folk musicians, military music,
or a religious ceremony
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Triangle
The triangle is a popular percussion
instrument and consists of a thin
steel bar bent to form an equilateral
triangle, with one corner left open.
The usual orchestral instrument
measures approximately 15-18 cm
each side although composers
occasionally request larger or
smaller forms. The triangle is played
with a beater made from the same
metal as the original bar- for softer
sounds a drumstick is used.
The instrument was first
documented in the 10th century. In
the earlier part of its history, it was
used in church celebration and
frequently associated with religious
art.
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Castanets
Percussion instrument of the clapper family, consisting of two hollowed-out
pear-shaped pieces of hardwood, ivory, or other substance hinged together by
a cord. Castanets are usually held in the hand and struck together

Orchestral castanets, which are generally used to enhance the Spanish flavour
of a piece, are attached to handles and shaken or are fastened to a block of
wood and played with the fingers or drumsticks
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Guiro

The güiro is believed to have originated with the Taino people. The güiro is a notched,
hollowed-out gourd, which was adapted from a pre-Columbian instrument. Others
maintain that similar instruments were also used in other parts of Central and South
America, and brought to Puerto Rico by the Arawak Indians.

The güiro is made by carving the shell of the gourd and carving parallel fluting on its
surface. It is played by holding the güiro in the left hand with the thumb inserted into
the back sound hole to keep the instrument in place. The right hand usually holds the
scraper and plays the instrument. The scraper is more properly called a "pua".
 Musical instruments family, Percussion – Timpani
Timpani (also known commonly as kettledrums or kettle drums) are musical
instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a
head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper,
The orchestral kettledrum has a practical compass of five full tones.

Such composers as Igor Stravinsky and Gustav Mahler have extended this
range.
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Glockenspeil
The glockenspiel - or "Glock" for short - is also
sometimes referred to in orchestral scores as "bells".
The glockenspiel - or "Glock" for short - is also
sometimes referred to in orchestral scores as "bells".
It is similar to the xylophone, in that it has tuned
bars laid out in a fashion resembling a piano
keyboard. The xylophone's bars are wooden, while
the glockenspiel's are metal, thus making it a
metallophone. The glockenspiel, moreover, is much
smaller and higher in pitch.

One classical piece where

such an instrument is used is
Mozart's Die Zauberflöte.
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Xylophone
First used in the orchestra just over a century ago, the xylophone is a tuned
instrument made of hardwood bars in graduated lengths set horizontally on a
metal frame. With the larger, lower-sounding bars on the left, the notes of the
xylophone are laid out much like a piano keyboard. Striking the bars with hard
mallets produces a bright, sharp sound. The xylophone was originally modeled
after an African instrument and its name is Greek, meaning "wood sound".
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Chimes

A carillon-like instrument
with fewer than 23 bells is
called a chime.
Most frequently “chime”
refers to the bell chime,
but it also denotes tubular
bells, or orchestral bells;
the stone chimes, or
lithophone; drum chimes,
sets of tuned drums found
in Myanmar (Burma) and
Thailand; and gong
chimes, the sets of tuned
gongs used in the
gamelan orchestras of
Musical instruments family, Percussion – Gong

Gong. It is a idiophone instrument that produce sound by the

vibration of the instrument itself. A gong is an East and South East
Asian musical instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc
which is hit with a mallet.
Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Piccolo
The piccolo was originally made out of wood
The piccolo’s compass extends three octaves
upward from the second D above middle C. A six-
keyed piccolo was formerly used in military bands
to facilitate playing in flat keys. Piccolo is also the
name of an organ stop; the word can be applied
to other instruments, such as the piccolo clarinet
or the violino piccolo (“small violin”).

Its orchestral use dates from the late

18th century, when it replaced the
flageolet (also called flauto piccolo).
One of the earliest pieces to use the
piccolo was Beethoven's Fifth
Symphony. However, the most familiar
use of the piccolo is in the end of John
Philip Sousa's "The Stars and Stripes
Forever."
Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Flute
Researchers in China have uncovered what might be
the oldest playable musical instrument Bone flute
found in China at 9,000-year-old Neolithic site
All were typically of boxwood with six finger holes and
no keys, semitones being made by cross-fingering
(uncovering the holes out of sequence), and retained
the cylindrical bore of their Asiatic bamboo relatives.
The bamboo flute is an important instrument in Indian
classical music

Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia

 Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical
instrument of the woodwind family.
The oboe proper (i.e., the orchestral
instrument), however, was the mid-17th-
century invention of two French court
musicians, Jacques Hotteterre and Michel
Philidor. It was intended to be played
indoors with stringed instruments and was
softer and less brilliant in tone than the
modern oboe. By the end of the 17th
century it was the principal wind instrument
of the orchestra and military band and, after
the violin, the leading solo instrument of the
time.

A few classical works featuring the oboe

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Oboe Concerto in C major, Quartet in F major
Antonio Vivaldi, at least 15 oboe concertos
Antonio Pasculli, oboe concertos for oboe and piano/orchestra
Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg concertos nos. 1 and 2,
Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – English horn
The cor anglais, or English horn, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in
the oboe family . It is a large oboe pitched a fifth below the ordinary oboe,
with a bulbous bell and, at the top end, a bent metal crook on which the
double reed is placed. It is pitched in F, being written a fifth higher than it
sounds. Its compass is from the E below middle C to the second E above.

English horn and Oboe

 Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Clarinet and
Bass clarinet
Clarinet, the name derives from adding the
suffix -et meaning little to the Italian word
clarino meaning a particular type of
trumpet, as the first clarinets had a strident
tone similar to that of a trumpet. The
instrument has an approximately cylindrical
bore, and uses a single reed.
Clarinets are a particularly central part of
the instrumentation, occupying the same
space that the strings do in orchestras.
The bass clarinet is fairly heavy and is
supported either with a neck strap or with
an adjustable peg attached to its body.
While the upturned metal bell makes the
bass clarinet look similar to a saxophone,
the two instruments are fundamentally
different. Bass clarinet bodies are most
often made of African Blackwood while
saxophones are typically made entirely of
metal .
Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Bassoon and
Contra Bassoon
The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the
double reed family that typically plays music The Contra Bassoon
written in the bass and tenor registers, and is twice as long, curves
occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern around on itself twice,
form in the 1800s, the bassoon figures and, due to its weight
prominently in orchestral, concert band, and and shape, is
chamber music literature. The bassoon is a supported by an
non-transposing instrument known for its endpin rather than a
distinctive tone color, wide range, variety of seat strap. The reed is
character, and agility considerably larger, at
65-72 mm in total
length as compared to
53-58 mm for most
bassoon reeds.
 Musical instruments family, Woodwinds – Saxophone
The saxophone (also referred to simply as sax) is a conical-bored transposing
musical instrument considered a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are
usually made of brass and are played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to the
clarinet. The saxophone was invented by Adolphe Sax in 1841.

Adolphe Sax

Most saxophones, both past and

present, are made from brass.
Despite this, they are categorized
as woodwind instruments rather
than brass because the sound
waves are produced by an
oscillating reed, not the player's
lips against a mouthpiece as in a
brass instrument, and because
different pitches are produced by
opening and closing keys
Musical instruments family, Brass – Trumpet
The trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass
family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at
least 1500 BC. They are constructed of brass tubing bent twice into an oblong
shape, and are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a
"buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air column inside
the trumpet.
Musical instruments family, Brass – Trombone
The original design of the trombone came from an Old English instrument
called the sackbut. The word sackbut probably came from the French words
saquer, meaning to pull, and bouter, meaning to push. The Italian word for
sackbut is the word trompone so that's were we probably got the word.
The mouthpiece of the trombone is larger than that of a trumpet, and gives
the instrument a more mellow sound. Instead of valves, the trombone has a
slide which changes the length of its approximately 9 feet of tubing to reach
different pitches.
Musical instruments family, Brass – Tuba
The first tuba was actually made in Germany by a composer named Richard
Wagner. Not only did he make the tuba and compose music but he also greatly
increased the amount of woodwinds that play in the orchestra. In his
orchestras he had three trumpets and a bass trumpet, three trombones and a
bass tuba, four French horns and four tubas that he had made especially for
his orchestra.

The Prussian Army helped make the tuba popular. Their marching band
directors liked the big, bold sound the tuba makes
Musical instruments family, Brass – French Horn
The leader of the brass section is the French horn. But when it was first made
nobody used it indoors because it sound harsh. In France the nobility used the
horn during hunts and made up special codes to signal each other. It was even
used by the night watch to call when there was trouble.

Even though it is called the French horn it first began to be developed in

Germany. It was completed as we know it today in France. So that's why we
call it a French horn.
 Musical instruments family, Keyboards – Piano
The first string instruments with struck strings were the hammered dulcimers originating from
the Persian traditional musical instrument santur.
The invention of the modern piano is credited to Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua, Italy, who
was employed by Prince Ferdinand de Medici as the Keeper of the Instruments. He was an
expert harpsichord maker and was well acquainted with the previous body of knowledge on
stringed keyboard instruments

The piano is a musical instrument which is played by means of a keyboard. Widely used in
Western music for solo performance, ensemble use, chamber music, and accompaniment, the
piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal
Musical instruments family, Keyboards – Harpsichord
Largest and grandest of the
18th-century keyboard
instruments, used in
orchestras and as a solo
instrument. The strings are
plucked by ‘jacks’, made of
leather or quill, when the
keys are pressed. However,
unlike the piano, the volume
and tone cannot be varied by
the player's touch

In classical orchestral music, such as that

of George Handel or Joseph Haydn, the
harpsichord often has a continuo part
improvised over a figured bass.
Harpsichords have to be tuned regularly,
and may have their tuning system
(temperament ) adjusted according to the
repertoire
Musical instruments family, Keyboards – Organ
The organ is doubtless the
oldest of these, appearing in
the 3rd century BC, although
this early instrument--called
hydraulis--did not use a
keyboard in the modern
sense. From its invention
until the 14th century, the
organ remained the only
keyboard instrument. Often,
the organ did not feature a
keyboard at all, rather
buttons or large levers which
were operated by a whole
hand.
When an organist presses
the keys of an organ, air is
allowed to flow into
corresponding pipes. The
vibration of the air in the
pipes creates the sound of
the organ.
Great Composers – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria in
1756. Mozart was no doubt the greatest
child star that ever lived. He was
traveling all over Europe playing music
by the time he was six. Because of his
constant travels, Mozart eventually
learned to speak fifteen different
languages.
He wrote his first sonata for the piano
when he was four and composed his first
opera when he was twelve.
Mozart created masterful works for
almost every category of music - vocal
music, concertos, chamber music,
symphonies, sonatas and opera.

Mozart wrote over 600 works during his lifetime, including 41 symphonies
(Eine Kleine Nachtmusik), and 27 piano concertos. Three of his most famous
operas include The Marriage of Figaro, The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni. He is
also famous for his Requiem mass.
 Great Composers – Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven was born of this marriage in Bonn in December
1770. He was forced to practice the piano by his father, an
abusive alcoholic, who would punish him mercilessly when
he made mistakes.

By the time he was twelve, he was earning a living for his

family by playing organ and composing. He was eventually
known as the greatest pianist of his time.

Although Beethoven gradually lost his hearing, he

composed many of the most famous musical works of all
time, such as his ninth symphony, after he had become
totally deaf.

Throughout his lifetime, Beethoven wrote nine symphonies, nine concertos, and a variety of
other orchestral music, ranging from overtures and incidental music for theatrical
productions to other miscellaneous "occasional" works, written for a particular occasion. Of
the concertos, seven are widely known (one violin concerto, five piano concertos, and one
triple concerto for violin, piano, and cello); the other two are an unpublished early piano
concerto and an arrangement of the Violin Concerto for piano and orchestra.
 Orchestra conductor – Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta was born into a Paris family in
Mumbai, India on April 28, 1936, the son of
Mehli and Tehmina Mehta. His father Mehli
Mehta was a violinist and founding conductor of
the Bombay Symphony Orchestra.

In 1958, Mehta made his conducting debut in

Vienna. The same year he won the International
Conducting Competition in Liverpool and was
appointed assistant conductor of the Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Mehta was 18 when he gave up a likely career

in medicine and left India to attend the
Academy of Music in Vienna. At 26, the
Mumbai-born maestro became the youngest
permanent conductor of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra.
As Music Director of the New York Philharmonic
Orchestra, Mehta, known for his flamboyance,
conducted over 1,000 concerts, holding the
position longer than any music director in the
orchestra's history. In 1994, he took the Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra to India.
Orchestra in India

Orchestras in India

The Symphony Orchestra of Madras Chamber Orchestra

India is an orchestra based in
Mumbai, India. It was founded
in 2006 and is housed at the
National Centre for the
Performing Arts (NCPA),
Mumbai.

The country's only symphony orchestra, which is maintained by the Delhi Symphony
Society
Orchestra – Bibliography
•en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestra
•cinderellastories.redstapler.com/glossary.php
•www.ket.org/artstoolkit/music/glossary.htm
•education.qld.gov.au/community/fanfare/ensemble.html
•http://www.sfskids.org/templates/home.asp?pageid=1
•http://www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm
•http://datadragon.com/education/instruments/
•http://www.fastq.com/~jbpratt/education/music/atoz.html
•http://www.lancastersymphony.org/CommunityEngagement/EducationalResources/Famil
iesoftheOrchestra/tabid/692/Default.aspx
•http://www2.drury.edu/csharpe/compose.html
•http://musiced.about.com/od/beginnersguide/a/halloween.htm
•http://beemp3.com/go_r.php?url=Ross-3LorcaSk2.mp3&file=2597399&scuk=4272464
• http://www.britannica.com
• http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/instrument/pages/tmbrn_gnrl.html
•http://www.percussionclinic.com/infoorc.htm
•http://www.hypermusic.ca/inst/mainmenu.html
• http://www.ejournal.fi/virtual-
slot2/index.php?action%5B%5D=IArticleShow::showArticle(36610)
•http://www.abm-enterprises.net/mp3.html
•http://www.mfiles.co.uk/mp3-files.htm
•http://www.piano.com/
Thank you!