what is orchestra?

Answer 1

many

Answer 2

An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually a fairly large instrumental ensemble with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the twentieth century.

A smaller orchestra (of about forty players) is called a chamber orchestra.

A full size orchestra (about 104 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these prefixes do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played, and the size of the venue. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty members; some are much smaller than that.


The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments, generally appearing in the musical score in the following order (with proportions indicated):

the woodwinds: 2 flutes*, piccolo, 2 oboes*, cor anglais, 2 clarinets*, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons*, contrabassoon
the brass: 2* to 6 horns*, 2* to 5 trumpets*, 2 trombones, bass trombone, tuba
the percussion: timpani*, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, celesta, piano, etc.
the strings: harp(s), 16 to 30 (or more) violins*, 8 to 12 (or more) violas*, 8 to 12 (or more) cellos*, and 5 to 8 (or more) double basses*.
Occasionally, traditional wind ensemble instruments appear, such as the saxophone and euphonium.
Instruments (and their minimum number) marked with an asterisk are considered "core" symphonic instruments, and only in rarest of cases are not called for in most symphonic literature. Other instruments listed above are considered "auxiliary" instruments and are less frequently required, but still referred to as "standard". Late 19th-century symphonic works calling for all the auxiliary instruments, as well as a large number of strings, usually include the phrase "for large orchestra" in their full titles. Example: Richard Strauss' Ein Heldenleben.

Answer 3

An orchestra is a grouping of instruments in the string, woodwind, brass and percussion families. It can vary in size from 6 violins, 4 violas, 2 each of cello and bass and paired woodwind up to 5 times that size, depending on the work being played, the effect wanted by the conductor, etc.