ORCHESTRA
HISTORY AND INSTRUMENTS
     What’s an
    orchestra?
An orchestra is a large group of
musicians who play a variety of
different instruments together.
Orchestras usually play classical
              music.
            History of the orchestra
Medieval and Renaissance           20th Century and Beyond:
                Classical Era (1750-1820)
 Baroque Era (1600-1750)                        Globalization of Orchestras
                     Romantic Era (1820-1900)
   Four main sections
      of instruments:
Strings instruments
Woodwinds
Brass instruments
Percussion instruments
                              Strings Instruments
      Violin                             Viola                              Cello
                                   The viola is the older          The cello looks like the violin
 The violin is the baby of
                                  sister or brother of the         and viola but is much larger.
the string family, and like
                                 violin. It is slightly larger,    The cello sounds most like a
   babies, makes the
                                 which produce a richer           human voice, and it can make
    highest sounds.
                                                                     a wide variety of tones.
                                     and warm sound.
                            Strings Instruments
Double Bass                                                Harp
This is the grandfather of the             The harp is different from the other stringed
   string family. The double            instruments. It's tall and has 47 strings of varying
 bass is the biggest member            lengths, which are tuned to the notes of the white
 of the string family, with the           keys of the piano. They play both melody and
longest strings, which allow it                               harmony.
    to play very low notes.
                                     Woodwinds
 Flute                    Oboe                      Clarinet                Bassoon
                     The oboe is a 2 foot long       The clarinet could      The bassoon is a
 The flute is the
                     black cylinder with metal     easily be mistaken for   long pipe, doubled
   oldest of all
                    keys covering its holes, and    an oboe, except for       in half, made of
instruments that
                      its mouthpiece uses a           the mouthpiece,        wood, with many
produce pitched
                    double reed, which vibrates     which uses a single             keys.
     sounds
                     when you blow through it.              reed
                                      Woodwinds
                               English                      Bass                     Contra
 Piccolo                        Horn                      clarinet.                 Bassoon
 A shorter version of     The English horn is actually                        The contrabassoon is the
                                                             This is the
the flute is called the   closely related to the oboe,                         grandfather of the wind
                                                         grandfather of the
piccolo, which means        also uses a double reed,                           section and is so much
                                                           clarinet family.
    small in Italian.      and is played in the same                             larger than a regular
                                    manner.                                            bassoon.
          Brass instruments
Trumpet   French   Trombone   Tuba
           Horn
Percussion Instruments