Cosmos

HISTORY OF THE ORCHESTRA
The word orchestra comes from Greek and means "place to dance." This brings us back around to V th century. J. when representations were made in outdoor theaters (amphitheaters).
In front of the main area of ​​activity was a space for singers, dancers and instruments. This space was called orchestra. Today, orchestra refers to a large group of musicians playingtogether, the exact number depends on the type of music.
The history of the orchestra as a set of musicians goes back to the beginning of the sixteenth century. Although this group actually "organized" really took shape in the early eighteenth century. Before this, the sets were highly variable, a random collection of interpreters, often formed by musicians available locally.

Today we distinguish:string orchestras, which are composed of 1.1 and 2.0 violins, violas, cellos and basses.
symphony orchestras, composed of numerous wind instruments of wood and metal percussion instruments and a string group.
music bands, composed of metal wind instruments, saxophones and percussion instruments and often a double bass.
harmony orchestras, composed of those instruments in groups of three, pluswoodwinds, particularly clarinet,
chamber orchestra composed of stringed instruments, augmented by some woodwinds and metal.
special use orchestras, whose composition varies: jazz band, a lounge, mandolins, of balalaikas, etc.
Until about 1750, the orchestras were composed mainly of stringed instruments. Wood (flutes, oboes, bassoons) of horns, trumpets, two kettledrums and continuo (harpsichordwith cello or viola da gamba). Mannheim School joined the orchestra clarinet and harpsichord disappeared. The creator of the orchestra in the form we know it today was Haydn: String. 2 flutes, oboes and (or) clarinets, bassoons, horns trumpets, 2 or 3 and 2 trombones timpani. Beethoven gave a greater role to metal wind instruments and timpani. The increasing individualism of Romanticism, thesearch for a realistic description of the music program and the musical drama, imposed numerous new instruments to classical orchestra (especially among metal wind instruments and percussion, also appearing on harp).
The great innovator of the romantic orchestra was Berlioz. The group increased wind instruments of wood and metal became necessary to increase the string group and made the sound of theorchestra was richer and imposing (Wagner, Bruckner). This massive loudness of a post-Romantic orchestra R. Strauss or a Mahler, Debussy gave way to a differentiation in the orchestral palette in the sense of sobriety and refinement. The search for some objectivity, coupled with an economic causes, made the volume of the orchestra was reduced considerably after the First World War (Stravinsky,Schoemberg, Webern, Milhaud, Hindemith). The string group, which had been entrusted usually the melody, gave way to the battery (rhythm), a wind instrument of metal, while the electronic musical instruments and electronic (vibraphone, Ondes Martenot, Theremine and other ), made their appearance in the orchestra.

Strings

Winds

Percussion

The Harp
The Violin
The Viola
The Cello
The BassMetals

The Trumpet
The Trombone
The Horn (Corno F.)
The Tuba
Lumber

The Clarinet
The Bassoon
The Oboe
The Flute
The Timpani

The Guitar
The Laud
 
The Piano
The Carillon
 

The Baroque Orchestra
At the time of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) the orchestra was a variable set of instruments whose selection depended on the number of musicians in a particular time and place.On the first page of the printed score of Orfeo, Monteverdi places on record the required instruments, which will be the premiere of this work in the court of Mantua, though, as often happened in those days, it was general indications could be modified according to circumstances. For this occasion the orchestra was composed as follows: duoi gravicembani (two keyboard instruments whose strings...