What instruments are included in a chamber orchestra? Chamber music: what is a chamber orchestra? Folk Instruments Orchestra

An orchestra is a large number of musicians who simultaneously play different musical instruments. An orchestra differs from an ensemble by the presence of entire groups of individual types of musical instruments. Quite often in an orchestra, one part is performed by several musicians at once. The number of people in the orchestra may vary, the minimum number of performers is fifteen, the maximum number of performers is not limited. If you want to listen to a live orchestra in Moscow, you can order tickets for the concert on the website biletluxury.ru.

There are several types of orchestras: symphony, chamber, pop, military and folk orchestra. They all differ from each other in the composition of their musical instruments.

A symphony orchestra must have strings, winds and percussion instruments. Also in a symphony orchestra there may be other types of musical instruments that are necessary for the performance of a certain piece. A symphony orchestra can be large or small, it all depends on the number of musicians.

In a chamber orchestra, musicians play wind and string instruments. This orchestra can perform musical works even while moving.

In addition to the instruments used in a symphony orchestra, the variety orchestra includes electronic musical instruments. For example, synthesizer, rhythm section, etc.

A jazz orchestra uses wind and string instruments, as well as special rhythm sections that perform only jazz compositions.

The folk music orchestra uses ethnic musical instruments. Russian groups use the balalaika, button accordion, zhaleika, domra, etc.

The military orchestra includes performers who play percussion, as well as wind musical instruments, namely brass and wood. For example, on trumpets, trombones, serpents, clarinets, oboes, flutes, bassoons and others.

An orchestra is a group of musicians playing various instruments. But it should not be confused with an ensemble. This article will tell you what types of orchestras there are. And their compositions of musical instruments will also be sanctified.

Types of orchestras

An orchestra differs from an ensemble in that in the first case, identical instruments are combined into groups that play in unison, that is, one common melody. And in the second case, each musician is a soloist - he plays his own part. "Orchestra" is a Greek word and is translated as "dance floor." It was located between the stage and the audience. The choir was located on this platform. Then it became similar to modern orchestra pits. And over time, musicians began to settle there. And the name “orchestra” went to groups of instrumental performers.

Types of orchestras:

• Symphonic.
• String.
• Wind.
• Jazz.
• Pop.
• Orchestra of folk instruments.
• Military.
• School.

The composition of the instruments of different types of orchestra is strictly defined. Symphonic consists of a group of strings, percussion and winds. String and brass bands consist of instruments corresponding to their names. Jazz bands can have different compositions. The pop orchestra consists of winds, strings, percussion, keyboards and

Types of choirs

A choir is a large ensemble consisting of singers. There must be at least 12 artists. In most cases, choirs perform accompanied by orchestras. The types of orchestras and choirs differ. There are several classifications. First of all, choirs are divided into types according to their composition of voices. These can be: women's, men's, mixed, children's, and boys' choirs. Based on the manner of performance, they distinguish between folk and academic.

Choirs are also classified according to the number of performers:

• 12-20 people - vocal and choral ensemble.
• 20-50 artists - chamber choir.
• 40-70 singers - average.
• 70-120 participants - a large choir.
• Up to 1000 artists - consolidated (from several groups).

According to their status, choirs are divided into: educational, professional, amateur, church.

Symphony Orchestra

Not all types of orchestras include this group: violins, cellos, violas, double basses. One of the orchestras, which includes a string-bow family, is a symphony. It will consist of several different groups of musical instruments. Today there are two types of symphony orchestras: small and large. The first of them has a classic composition: 2 flutes, the same number of bassoons, clarinets, oboes, trumpets and horns, no more than 20 strings, and occasionally timpani.

It can be of any composition. It can include 60 or more string instruments, tubas, up to 5 trombones of different timbres and 5 trumpets, up to 8 horns, up to 5 flutes, as well as oboes, clarinets and bassoons. It can also include such varieties from the wind group as oboe d'amour, piccolo flute, contrabassoon, English horn, saxophones of all types. It can include a huge number of percussion instruments. Often a large symphony orchestra includes organ, piano, harpsichord and harp.

Brass band

Almost all types of orchestras include a family. This group includes two varieties: copper and wooden. Some types of orchestras consist only of wind and percussion instruments, such as brass and military. In the first variety, the main role belongs to cornets, bugles of various types, tubas, and baritone euphoniums. Secondary instruments: trombones, trumpets, horns, flutes, saxophones, clarinets, oboes, bassoons. If the brass band is large, then, as a rule, all the instruments in it increase in number. Very rarely harps and keyboards may be added.

The repertoire of brass bands includes:

• Marches.
• European ballroom dancing.
• Opera arias.
• Symphonies.
• Concerts.

Brass bands most often perform in open street areas or accompany the procession, as they sound very powerful and bright.

Folk Instruments Orchestra

Their repertoire includes mainly folk compositions. What is their instrumental composition? Each nation has its own. For example, the Russian orchestra includes: balalaikas, gusli, domras, zhaleikas, whistles, button accordions, rattles, and so on.

Military band

The types of orchestras consisting of wind and percussion instruments have already been listed above. There is another variety that includes these two groups. These are military bands. They are used to voice ceremonies, as well as to participate in concerts. There are two types of military bands. Some also consist of brass instruments. They are called homogeneous. The second type is mixed military bands; they, among other things, include a group of woodwinds.

Chamber music is instrumental or vocal music for a small group of performers: solo works, various kinds of ensembles (duet, trio, etc.), romances and songs. Chamber music developed alongside orchestral music from the 16th century and gravitated more towards instrumental than vocal music.

In its original meaning, chamber music was intended to be performed in relatively small (mostly domestic) spaces - in contrast to music intended to be performed in a church, theater or large concert hall, which is why the number of performers is very limited, the instruments chosen are not particularly strong in sound, for example strings (quartets, quintets, sextets, octets), much less often woodwinds (Mozart’s quintet for clarinet and strings, Beethoven’s quintet for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, his es-dur septet for piano, violin or viola, cello , double bass, clarinet, bassoon, horn).

The constant performance of chamber music in public concerts has changed the meaning of the term. Since the end of the 18th century, the expression “chamber music” has been applied to works written for performance by an ensemble, in which each part is intended for one performer (and not groups, as in choirs and orchestras) and all parts are more or less equal (unlike works for soloists). voice or instrument with accompaniment).

There are three periods in the history of chamber music:

The period from 1450 to 1650, which is characterized by the development of the technique of playing viols and instruments of other families, the gradual emergence of purely instrumental music with the continued predominance of the vocal style. Among the surviving works of this period, written specifically for instrumental compositions without voices, are the fantasies of Orlando Gibbons and the canzones and sonatas of Giovanni Gabrieli.

Symphonic music

Symphonic music is musical works intended to be performed by a symphony orchestra. Includes large monumental works and small plays. Main genres: symphony, suite, overture, symphonic poem. A symphony orchestra, a large group of musicians, includes three groups of instruments: wind, percussion, and bowed strings.

The classical (pair or double) composition of a small symphony orchestra was formed in the work of J. Haydn (paired brass, timpani and string quintet). A modern small symphony orchestra may have an irregular composition.

In a large symphony orchestra (from the beginning of the 19th century), the wind and percussion groups were expanded, harps and sometimes a piano were introduced; the group of bowed strings has been numerically increased. The name of the symphony orchestra is determined by the number of instruments in each wind family (pair, triple, etc.).

Symphony (from the Greek symphonia - consonance) is a piece of music for a symphony orchestra, written in sonata cyclic form, the highest form of instrumental music. Usually consists of 4 parts. The classical type of symphony developed in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. (J. Haydn, W. A. ​​Mozart, L. V. Beethoven). Among romantic composers, lyric symphonies (F. Schubert, F. Mendelssohn) and program symphonies (G. Berlioz, F. Liszt) became of great importance.

An important contribution to the development of symphonies was made by Western European composers of the 19th and 20th centuries: J. Brahms, A. Bruckner, G. Mahler, S. Frank, A. Dvorak, J. Sibelius, etc. Symphonies occupy a significant place in Russian music: A. P. Borodin, P. I. Tchaikovsky, A. K. Glazunov, A. N. Skryabin, S. V. Rachmaninov, N. Ya. Myaskovsky, S. S. Prokofiev, D. D. Shostakovich, A. I. Khachaturyan et al.

Cyclic forms of instrumental music are musical forms consisting of several relatively independent parts, which together reveal a single artistic concept. The sonata cyclic form consists, as a rule, of four parts - the fast 1st in sonata form, the slow lyrical 2nd, the fast 3rd (scherzo or minuet) and the fast 4th (finale). This form is typical for a symphony, sometimes a sonata, or a chamber ensemble; an abbreviated cyclic form (without a scherzo or minuet) is typical for a concert or sonata. Another type of cyclic form is formed by a suite, sometimes variations (orchestral, piano), in which the number and nature of parts can be different. There are also vocal cycles (series of songs, romances, ensembles or choirs), united by a plot, words of one author, etc.

Suite (French suite, lit. - row, sequence), an instrumental cyclic musical work of several contrasting parts. The suite is distinguished from the sonata and symphony by the absence of strict regulation of the number, nature and order of parts, and by its close connection with song and dance. Suite 17-18 centuries. consisted of an allemande, chime, sarabande, gigue and other dances. In the 19th-20th centuries. orchestral non-dance suites were created (P.I. Tchaikovsky), sometimes program ones (“Scheherazade” by N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov). There are suites composed of music from operas, ballets, as well as music for theatrical productions.

Overture (French ouverture, from Latin apertura - opening, beginning), an orchestral introduction to an opera, ballet, dramatic performance, etc. (often in sonata form), as well as an independent orchestral piece, usually of a programmatic nature.

Symphonic poem is a genre of symphonic program music. A one-movement orchestral work, in accordance with the romantic idea of ​​a synthesis of arts, allowing for a variety of program sources (literature, painting, less often philosophy or history). The creator of the genre is F. Liszt.

Program music is musical works that the composer has provided with a verbal program that concretizes perception. Many programmatic essays are associated with plots and images of outstanding literary works.

Paul Mauriat Orchestra, Glenn Miller Orchestra
Orchestra(from the Greek ορχήστρα) - a large group of instrumental musicians. Unlike chamber ensembles, in an orchestra some of its musicians form groups that play in unison.

• 1 Historical sketch
• 2 Symphony Orchestra
• 3 Brass band
• 4 String orchestra
• 5 Folk Instruments Orchestra
• 6 Variety Orchestra
• 7 Jazz orchestra
• 8 Military band
• 9 History of military music
• 10 School orchestra
• 11 Notes

Historical sketch

The very idea of ​​a group of instrumental performers simultaneously playing music goes back to ancient times: back in Ancient Egypt, small groups of musicians played together at various holidays and funerals. An early example of orchestration is the score of Monteverdi's Orpheus, written for forty instruments: that is how many musicians served at the court of the Duke of Mantua. During the 17th century, ensembles consisted, as a rule, of related instruments, and only in exceptional cases was the combination of dissimilar instruments practiced. By the beginning of the 18th century, an orchestra based on string instruments had developed: first and second violins, violas, cellos and double basses. This composition of strings made it possible to use full-voiced four-voice harmony with octave doubling of the bass. The leader of the orchestra simultaneously performed the part of the general bass on the harpsichord (in secular music playing) or on the organ (in church music). Later, the orchestra included oboes, flutes and bassoons, and often the same performers played the flutes and oboes, and these instruments could not sound at the same time. In the second half of the 18th century, clarinets, trumpets and percussion instruments (drums or timpani) joined the orchestra.

The word “orchestra” (“orchestra”) comes from the name of the round platform in front of the stage in the ancient Greek theater, which housed the ancient Greek choir, a participant in any tragedy or comedy. During the Renaissance and further in the 17th century, the orchestra was transformed into an orchestra pit and, accordingly, gave its name to the group of musicians housed in it.

Symphony Orchestra

A symphonic orchestra is an orchestra made up of several different groups of instruments - a family of strings, winds and percussion. The principle of such unification developed in Europe in the 18th century. Initially, the symphony orchestra included groups of bowed instruments, woodwind and brass instruments, which were joined by a few percussion musical instruments. Subsequently, the composition of each of these groups expanded and diversified. Currently, among a number of varieties of symphony orchestras, it is customary to distinguish between a small and a large symphony orchestra. A small symphony orchestra is an orchestra of predominantly classical composition (playing music of the late 18th - early 19th centuries, or modern stylizations). it consists of 2 flutes (rarely a small flute), 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 (rarely 4) horns, sometimes 2 trumpets and timpani, a string group of no more than 20 instruments (5 first and 4 second violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, 2 double basses). The Big Symphony Orchestra (BSO) includes trombones and tubas in the brass group and can have any composition. The number of woodwind instruments (flutes, oboes, clarinets and bassoons) can reach up to 5 instruments of each family (sometimes there are more clarinets) and include their varieties (small and alto flutes, oboe d'amour and cor anglais, small, alto and bass clarinets, contrabassoon). The brass group can include up to 8 horns (including Wagnerian (horn) tubas), 5 trumpets (including snare, alto, bass), 3-5 trombones (tenor and bass) and tuba. Sometimes saxophones are used (all 4 types, see jazz orchestra). The string group reaches 60 or more instruments. A huge variety of percussion instruments is possible (the basis of the percussion group is timpani, snare and bass drums, cymbals, triangle, tom-tom and bells). Harp, piano, harpsichord, organ.

Brass band

A brass band is an orchestra consisting exclusively of wind and percussion instruments. The basis of the brass band is made up of brass instruments, the leading role in the brass band among the brass instruments is played by the wide-bore brass instruments of the flugelhorn group - soprano-flugelhorns, cornets, altohorns, tenorhorns, baritone euphoniums, bass and double bass tubas, (note in the symphony orchestra only one double bass tuba is used). Parts of narrow-bore brass instruments trumpets, horns, and trombones are superimposed on their basis. Woodwind instruments are also used in brass bands: flutes, clarinets, saxophones, and in larger ensembles - oboes and bassoons. In large brass bands, wooden instruments are repeatedly doubled (like strings in a symphony orchestra), varieties are used (especially small flutes and clarinets, English oboe, viola and bass clarinet, sometimes double bass clarinet and contrabassoon, alto flute and amour oboe are used quite rarely). The wooden group is divided into two subgroups, similar to the two subgroups of brass: clarinet-saxophone (bright-sounding single-reed instruments - there are slightly more of them in number) and a group of flutes, oboes and bassoons (weaker in sound than clarinets, double-reed and whistle instruments) . The group of horns, trumpets and trombones is often divided into ensembles; trumpets (small trumpets, rarely alto and bass) and trombones (bass) are used. Such orchestras have a large group of percussion, the basis of which is the same timpani and the “Janissary group”: small, cylindrical and large drums, cymbals, a triangle, as well as a tambourine, castanets and tom-toms. Possible keyboard instruments are piano, harpsichord, synthesizer (or organ) and harps. A large brass band can play not only marches and waltzes, but also overtures, concertos, opera arias and even symphonies. The gigantic combined brass bands in parades are actually based on doubling all the instruments and their composition is very poor. These are just multiply enlarged small brass bands without oboes, bassoons and with a small number of saxophones. The brass band is distinguished by its powerful, bright sonority and therefore is often used not in closed spaces, but in the open air (for example, accompanying a procession). It is typical for a brass band to perform military music, as well as popular dances of European origin (so-called garden music) - waltzes, polkas, mazurkas. Recently, garden music brass bands have been changing their composition, merging with orchestras of other genres. So, when performing Creole dances - tango, foxtrot, blues jive, rumba, salsa, elements of jazz are used: instead of a Janissary drum group, a jazz drum set (1 performer) and a number of Afro-Creole instruments (see jazz orchestra). In such cases, keyboard instruments (piano, organ) and harp are increasingly used.

String orchestra

A string orchestra is essentially a group of bowed string instruments in a symphony orchestra. The string orchestra includes two groups of violins (first violins and second violins), as well as violas, cellos and double basses. This type of orchestra has been known since the 16th-17th centuries.

Folk Instruments Orchestra

In various countries, orchestras made up of folk instruments have become widespread, performing both transcriptions of works written for other ensembles and original compositions. As an example, we can name an orchestra of Russian folk instruments, which includes instruments of the domra and balalaika family, as well as gusli, accordion, zhaleika, rattles, whistles and other instruments. The idea to create such an orchestra was proposed at the end of the 19th century by the balalaika player Vasily Andreev. In a number of cases, such an orchestra additionally includes instruments that are actually not folk instruments: flutes, oboes, various bells and many percussion instruments.

Variety orchestra

A pop orchestra is a group of musicians performing pop and jazz music. A pop orchestra consists of strings, winds (including saxophones, which are usually not represented in the wind groups of symphony orchestras), keyboards, percussion and electric musical instruments.

A pop symphony orchestra is a large instrumental composition capable of combining the performing principles of various types of musical art. The variety part is represented in such compositions by a rhythm group (drum set, percussion, piano, synthesizer, guitar, bass guitar) and a full big band (groups of trumpets, trombones and saxophones); symphonic - a large group of string instruments, a group of woodwinds, timpani, harp and others.

The predecessor of the pop symphony orchestra was symphonic jazz, which arose in the USA in the 20s. and created the concert style of popular-entertainment and dance-jazz music. In line with symphonic jazz, the domestic orchestras of L. Teplitsky (Concert Jazz Band, 1927) and the State Jazz Orchestra under the direction of V. Knushevitsky (1937) performed. The term “Variety Symphony Orchestra” appeared in 1954. This became the name of the Variety Orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Television under the direction of Y. Silantyev, created in 1945. 1983, after the death of Silantyev, it was led by A. Petukhov, then M. Kazhlaev. The variety and symphony orchestras also included the orchestras of the Moscow Hermitage Theater, the Moscow and Leningrad Variety Theatres, the Blue Screen Orchestra (director B. Karamyshev), the Leningrad Concert Orchestra (director A. Badchen), the State Variety Orchestra of the Latvian SSR under the direction of Raymond Pauls, State Pop Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Presidential Orchestra of Ukraine, etc.

Most often, pop symphony orchestras are used during song gala performances, television competitions, and less often for the performance of instrumental music. Studio work (recording music for radio and cinema, on sound media, creating phonograms) prevails over concert work. Pop symphony orchestras have become a kind of laboratory for Russian, light and jazz music.

Jazz orchestra

A jazz orchestra is one of the most interesting and unique phenomena of modern music. Having emerged later than all other orchestras, it began to influence other forms of music - chamber, symphonic, and brass band music. Jazz uses many of the instruments of a symphony orchestra, but has a quality that is radically different from all other forms of orchestral music.

The main quality that distinguishes jazz from European music is the greater role of rhythm (much greater than in a military march or waltz). Therefore, in any jazz orchestra there is a special group of instruments - the rhythm section. A jazz orchestra has one more feature - the predominant role of jazz improvisation leads to noticeable variability in its composition. However, there are several types of jazz orchestras (about 7-8): chamber combo (although this is the area of ​​the ensemble, it must be indicated, since it is the essence of the rhythm section), Dixieland chamber ensemble, small jazz orchestra - small big band , large jazz orchestra without strings - big band, large jazz orchestra with strings (not symphonic type) - extended big band, symphonic jazz orchestra.

The rhythm section of all types of jazz orchestras usually includes drums, plucked strings, and keyboards. This is a jazz drum kit (1 player) consisting of several rhythm cymbals, several accent cymbals, several tom-toms (either Chinese or African), pedal cymbals, a snare drum and a special type of bass drum of African origin - the "Ethiopian (Kenyan) kick drum "(its sound is much softer than the Turkish bass drum). In many styles of southern jazz and Latin American music (rumba, salsa, tango, samba, cha-cha-cha, etc.), additional drums are used: a set of congo-bongo drums, maracas (chocalos, cabasas), bells, wooden boxes, Senegalese bells (agogo), clave, etc. Other instruments of the rhythm section that already hold the melodic-harmonic pulse: piano, guitar or banjo (a special type of North African guitar), acoustic bass guitar or double bass (played only by plucking). in large orchestras there are sometimes several guitars, a guitar along with a banjo, both types of bass. The rarely used tuba is the rhythm section's wind bass instrument. large orchestras (big bands of all 3 types and symphonic jazz) often use vibraphone, marimba, flexatone, ukulele, blues guitar (both of the latter are slightly electrified, along with bass), but these instruments are no longer part of the rhythm section.

Other jazz orchestra groups depend on its type. the combo is usually 1-2 soloists (saxophone, trumpet or bow soloist: violin or viola). Examples: ModernJazzQuartet, JazzMessenjers.

Dixieland has 1-2 trumpets, 1 trombone, clarinet or soprano saxophone, sometimes alto or tenor saxophone, 1-2 violins. The Dixieland rhythm section uses banjo more often than guitar. Examples: Armstrong ensemble (USA), Tsfasman ensemble (USSR).

A small big band may have 3 trumpets, 1-2 trombones, 3-4 saxophones (soprano = tenor, alto, baritone, everyone also plays clarinets), 3-4 violins, sometimes a cello. Examples: Ellington's First Orchestra 29-35 (USA), Bratislava Hot Serenaders (Slovakia).

In a large big band there are usually 4 trumpets (1-2 play high soprano parts at the level of small ones with special mouthpieces), 3-4 trombones (4 trombone tenor-double bass or tenor bass, sometimes 3), 5 saxophones (2 altos, 2 tenors = soprano, baritone).

An extended big band can have up to 5 trumpets (with individual trumpets), up to 5 trombones, additional saxophones and clarinets (5-7 general saxophones and clarinets), bowed strings (no more than 4 - 6 violins, 2 violas, 3 cellos) , sometimes horn, flute, small flute (only in the USSR). Similar experiments in jazz were carried out in the USA by Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Stanley Kenton, Count Basie, in Cuba - Paquito d'Rivera, Arturo Sandoval, in the USSR - Eddie Rosner, Leonid Utyosov.

A symphonic jazz orchestra includes a large string group (40-60 performers), and bowed double basses are possible (in a big band there can only be bowed cellos, the double bass is a member of the rhythm section). But the main thing is the use of flutes, rare for jazz (in all types from small to bass), oboes (all 3-4 types), horns and bassoons (and contrabassoon), which are not at all typical for jazz. Clarinets are complemented by bass, viola, and small clarinet. Such an orchestra can perform symphonies and concerts specially written for it, and participate in operas (Gershwin). Its peculiarity is a pronounced rhythmic pulse, which is not found in a regular symphony orchestra. What should be distinguished from a symphonic jazz orchestra is its complete aesthetic opposite - a pop orchestra, based not on jazz, but on beat music.

Special types of jazz orchestras are the brass jazz band (a brass band with a jazz rhythm section, including a guitar group and with a reduced role of flugelhorns), a church jazz band ( currently exists only in Latin American countries, includes an organ, choir, church bells, the entire rhythm section, drums without bells and agogos, saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, bowed strings), a jazz-rock ensemble (the Miles Davis group, from the Soviets - “Arsenal”, etc. .).

Military band

Military band- a special full-time military unit designed to perform military music, that is, musical works during drill training of troops, during military rituals, ceremonies, as well as for concert activities.

Central Band of the Czech Army

There are uniform military bands, consisting of brass and percussion instruments, and mixed ones, which also include a group of woodwind instruments. The leadership of a military orchestra is carried out by a military conductor. The use of musical instruments (wind and percussion) in war was already known to the ancient peoples. The use of instruments in the Russian troops is already indicated in the chronicles of the 14th century: “and the many voices of the military trumpets began to blow, and the jew's harps teput (sound), and the warriors roared without wolf."

Admiralty Band of the Leningrad Naval Base

Some princes had 140 trumpets and a tambourine with thirty banners or regiments. Old Russian military instruments include timpani, which were used under Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the Reitar cavalry regiments, and nakrys, currently known as tambourines. In ancient times, tambourines were small copper bowls covered with leather on top, which were struck with sticks. They were tied in front of the rider at the saddle. Sometimes the tambourines reached extraordinary sizes; They were carried by several horses, and eight people struck them. These same tambourines were known to our ancestors as timpani.

In the XIV century. Alarm bells, that is, drums, are already known. In the old days, surna, or antimony, was also used.

In the West, the establishment of more or less organized military bands dates back to the 17th century. Under Louis XIV, the orchestra consisted of pipes, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, timpani, and drums. All these instruments were divided into three groups, rarely combined

In the 18th century, the clarinet was introduced into the military orchestra, and military music acquired a melodic meaning. Until the beginning of the 19th century, military bands in both France and Germany included, in addition to the above-mentioned instruments, horns, serpents, trombones and Turkish music, that is, bass drum, cymbals, triangle. The invention of pistons for brass instruments (1816) had a great influence on the development of the military orchestra: trumpets, cornets, bugelhorns, ophicleides with pistons, tubas, and saxophones appeared. It is also worth mentioning the orchestra, consisting only of brass instruments (fanfare). Such an orchestra is used in cavalry regiments. The new organization of military bands moved from the West to Russia.

The orchestra of the Czechoslovak Corps is visible in the foreground, 1918.

History of military music

Military band at the parade in Pereslavl-Zalessky

Peter I cared about improving military music; Knowledgeable people were sent from Germany to train the soldiers who played from 11 to 12 o'clock in the afternoon on the Admiralty Tower. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna and later at operatic court performances, the orchestra was reinforced by the best musicians from the guards regiments.

Military music should also include choirs of regimental songbooks.

When writing this article, material was used from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron (1890-1907)

School orchestra

A group of musicians consisting of school students, led, as a rule, by a teacher of primary music education. For musicians it is often the starting point of their future musical career.

Notes

1. Kendall
2. VARIETY ORCHESTRA

Glenn Miller Orchestra, James Last Orchestra, Kovel Orchestra, Kurmangazy Orchestra, Paul Moriah Orchestra, Silantiev Orchestra, Smig Orchestra, Wikipedia Orchestra, Eddie Rosner Orchestra, Yani Concert Orchestra

Orchestra Information About

Every classical music connoisseur sooner or later asks the question: what is a chamber orchestra? How does it actually differ from a symphonic one? The article will discuss the main criteria of such musical groups and their contribution to the development of classical music.

History of creation

Chamber orchestras became popular at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries, at the peak of the development of classical music. This is due to the fact that concerts in large halls and arenas were a very rare event, moreover, such a number of musicians as in symphony orchestras could not be assembled at all - only great composers could afford this. You can find out what a chamber orchestra is only by comparing it with a real large symphony orchestra.

The main differences between a chamber orchestra and a symphony orchestra

1. Number of participants and pairs of instruments. are famous for the fact that they have a huge number of participants. Mostly there are about 50 of them, and sometimes it reaches 100 or more. In addition, in symphony orchestras the instruments are duplicated and sound in unison. For ordinary music lovers, this only affects the volume of the overall piece when played on stage. In reality, two violinists playing the same composition will perform it slightly differently. Even two virtuosos playing the same instrument have different playing styles. The human factor influences the finished melody. Those who do nothing do not make mistakes - this rule also applies in music. Pairs of identical instruments add color and brightness to the sound. What is a chamber orchestra? This is a small number of participants and single instruments sounding one after another. The parts are divided strictly by instrument, and the overall composition belongs to a new genre - chamber music.
2. The presence of only stringed instruments. Yes, the composition of the instruments of a chamber orchestra is limited to strings (winds are added less often), while symphony orchestras use a variety of types: strings, winds, percussion and others. Therefore, chamber music is limited to strict limits - the sound of only string instruments is monotonous, but has its own, unique style.
3. Performances in small spaces. This limitation is again based on the reduced composition of the ensemble. Chamber orchestras were successful only in the courts of eminent dukes or nobles. A larger ensemble means a larger hall and a grander stage.

To summarize: what is a chamber orchestra? This is a small group performing compositions in the genre of the same name in small rooms.

Gradual decline in popularity

Unfortunately, at the beginning of the 19th century, most of the famous chamber orchestras lost their popularity. The reason for this was the creation of large symphony orchestras. Large orchestras sounded brighter and looked more impressive. Of course, the listener was drawn to a more majestic performance and an interesting variety in the choice of instruments.

The definition of what a chamber orchestra and chamber music is began to be forgotten, introducing new colors into the composition. Newer combinations of instruments were invented at that time, and the popularity of symphonic performance increased. At the same time, the demand for chamber music fell.

Chamber orchestra today

Today, even after the abolition of many chamber groups, almost every state has its own chamber orchestra. In Russia, such a group is called “Moscow Virtuosi”; it often manifests itself during state celebrations and when traveling abroad.

Chamber music has left a huge mark on the work of many contemporary composers and performers.

An excellent example is the rock band from Finland Apocalyptica. These musicians play essentially chamber music, observing all the traditions of a chamber orchestra: a group of 4 people, three of whom play only strings. They gained enormous popularity due to replaying famous compositions of the most prominent metal bands, which include Metallica, Rammstein, Slipknot and others.

Conclusion

Today you learned something new from the old. The era of chamber orchestras has long passed, but the influence they exerted remains colossal. We hope that if you are now asked the question of what a chamber orchestra is, you will have the most detailed and correct answer.