Orchestra

The word "orchestra" comes from the name of the round platform - the orchestra - in front of the stage in the ancient Greek theater, which housed the ancient Greek choir, a participant in any tragedy or comedy. However, the idea of ​​ensemble playing music existed much earlier, for example, in Ancient Egypt. In the Renaissance and further in the XVII century, the orchestra was transformed into an orchestra pit and gave the name to the ensemble of musicians placed in it.

Monteverdi’s “ Orpheus ” score , written for forty instruments, is an early example of orchestration : just as many musicians served at the court of the Duke of Mantua . During the 17th century, ensembles usually consisted of related instruments, and only in exceptional cases did the combination of dissimilar instruments be practiced. By the beginning of the 18th century, an orchestra based on stringed instruments had formed: the first and second violins, violas, cello and double basses. Such a composition of strings made it possible to use a full-sounding four-voice harmony with an octave bass doubling. The leader of the orchestra simultaneously performed the part of the general bass on the harpsichord (during secular music-making) or on the organ (in church music). Subsequently, oboes, flutes and bassoons entered the orchestra, and often the same performers played 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. ^[2]

Symphony orchestra and choir

A symphony is an orchestra composed of several heterogeneous groups of instruments - a family of strings, winds and percussion. The principle of such a union took shape in Europe in the 18th century . Initially, the symphony orchestra included groups of bowed instruments, wooden and brass instruments, which were joined by a few percussion musical instruments . Subsequently, the composition of each of these groups expanded and varied. 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 from 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) French horns, sometimes 2 trumpets and timpani, a string group of not more than 20 instruments (5 first and 4 second violins, 4 violas, 3 cello, 2 double bass). The Big Symphony Orchestra (BSO) includes trombones with a tuba in the copper 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 clarinets and more) and include their varieties (small and alto flutes, oboe d'amur and English horn, small, alto and bass clarinets, contrabassoon). The copper group can include up to 8 horns (including Wagner (horns) tubes), 5 pipes (including small, alto, bass), 3-5 trombones (tenor and bass) and a tube. Saxophones are sometimes 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 the timpani, snare and snare drums, cymbals, triangle, tom-toms and bells). Often used harp, piano, harpsichord, organ.
The large symphony orchestra has about a hundred musicians.

A brass band is an orchestra consisting solely 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 brass instruments is played by the wide-censored brass instruments of the flugelhorn group - soprano-flugelhorn, cornets, altgorn, tenorghorn, baritone-euphonium, bass and double bass in the symphonic orchestra (note. only one double bass tube is used). They are superimposed on a batch of narrow-censored brass instruments of the pipe , horn , trombone . Also, brass instruments use wooden wind instruments : flutes , clarinets , saxophones , in large compositions - oboes and bassoons . In large brass bands, wooden instruments are doubled many times (like strings in a symphony orchestra), varieties are used (especially small flutes and clarinets, English horn, viola and bass clarinet, sometimes double bass clarinet and contrabassoon, alto flute and amurgoboy are rarely used). The wooden group is divided into two subgroups, similar to two subgroups of brass instruments: clarinet-saxophone (bright-sounding single-lingual instruments - they are slightly larger in number) and a group of flutes, oboes and bassoons (weaker in sound than clarinets, bilingual and whistle instruments) . The group of horns, trumpets and trombones is often divided into ensembles, species pipes (small, rarely alto and bass) and trombones (bass) are used. In such orchestras there is a large group of drums, the basis of which are all the same timpani and the “Janissary group” of small, cylindrical and large drums, cymbals, a triangle, as well as a tambourine, castanets and tom-tom. Keyboard instruments are possible - piano, harpsichord, synthesizer (or organ) and harp. A large brass band can play not only marches and waltzes, but also overtures, concerts, opera arias and even symphonies. The giant combined brass bands in the parades are actually based on doubling all the instruments and their composition is very poor. These are just many times enlarged small brass bands without oboes, bassoons and with a small number of saxophones. The brass band has a powerful, vibrant sonority and therefore is often used not indoors, but in the open air (for example, accompanying a procession). A brass band typically plays military music, as well as popular dances of European origin (the so-called garden music) - waltzes, poles, mazurkas. Recently, brass bands of garden music have changed their composition, merging with orchestras of other genres. So when performing Creole dances - tango, foxtrot, blues jive, rumba, salsa, elements of jazz are involved: instead of the Janissary drum group, a jazz drum kit (1 performer) and a number of Afro-Creole instruments (see jazz orchestra). In such cases, keyboards (piano, organ) and harp are increasingly used.

A military orchestra is a special full-time military unit intended for the performance of military music, that is, musical works during combat training of troops, during the performance of military rituals, ceremonies, as well as for concert activities.

There are military orchestras homogeneous, consisting of copper and percussion instruments, and mixed, including also a group of woodwind instruments. The military orchestra is led by a military conductor. The use of musical instruments (winds and percussion) in the war was already known to the ancient peoples. The use of instruments in the Russian troops is already indicated by the annals of the fourteenth century: "and the beginning of the Mnosi voices of the military trumpets trumpet, and the varhars are warm (sound), and the ties are roaring unspoken."

Some princes, with thirty banners or regiments, had 140 pipes and a tambourine. The old Russian instruments include the timpani used by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in the Reuthorian horse regiments, and the covers, now known as the tambourine. In the old days, tambourines were called small copper bowls, covered with leather on top, and hit with sticks. They were imposed on the rider at the saddle. Sometimes tambourines reached extreme sizes; several horses drove them, eight people hit them ^{[ source not specified 31 days ]} . The same tambourines were known to our ancestors under the name of tympans.

In the XIV century. Alarms are already known, that is, drums. Applied in antiquity, too, and sourne, or antimony.

In the West, the device of more or less organized military bands belongs to the XVII table. Under Louis XIV, the orchestra consisted of pipes, oboes, bassoons, trumpets, timpani, and drums. All these tools were divided into three groups, rarely connected together

In the 18th century, a clarinet was introduced into a military orchestra, and military music received melodic meaning. Until the beginning of the 19th century, military bands both in France and in Germany included, in addition to the aforementioned instruments, horns, serpents, trombones and Turkish music, that is, a large drum, cymbals, triangle. The invention of the pistons for copper instruments (1816) had a great influence on the development of the military orchestra: pipes, cornets , buglegors , ophikleids with pistons, tubes, saxophones appeared. We should also mention the orchestra, consisting only of copper instruments (fanfare ^[3] ). Such an orchestra is used in cavalry regiments. The new organization of military orchestras from the West has passed to Russia.

History of Military Music

Peter I cared about improving military music; knowledgeable people were discharged from Germany to train soldiers who played from 11 to 12 in the afternoon on the Admiralty Tower. During the reign of Anna Ioannovna and later at opera court performances, the orchestra was strengthened by the best musicians from the guard regiments.

Military music should also include the choirs of regimental songwriters.

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

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

In various countries, orchestras composed of folk instruments have become widespread, performing both transcriptions of works written for other compositions and original compositions. An example is the orchestra of Russian folk instruments , which includes instruments from the domr family and balalaika , as well as gusli , button accordions , pitfalls , rattles , whistles and other instruments. The idea to create such an orchestra was proposed at the end of the 19th century by balalaika Vasily Andreev . In some cases, instruments that are not actually related to folk instruments are additionally introduced into such an orchestra: flutes, oboes, various bells and many percussion instruments.

Variety Orchestra - a group of musicians performing pop and jazz music. A pop orchestra consists of strings, winds (including saxophones, usually not represented in wind groups of symphony orchestras), keyboards, percussion and electric musical instruments. ^[four]

Symphony orchestra is a large instrumental composition that can combine the performing principles of various types of musical art. The pop 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 stringed stringed instruments, a group of woodwinds, timpani, harp and others.

The forerunner of the pop-symphony orchestra was sympho-jazz, which arose in the USA in the 1920s and created a concert style of popular entertainment and dance-jazz music. Symphonic jazz was performed by the domestic orchestras of L. Ya. Teplitsky (Concert Jazz Band, 1927), and the State Jazz Orchestra led by V. Knushevitsky (1937). The term "Symphony Orchestra" appeared in 1954. So began to be called the Pop Orchestra of the All-Union Radio and Television under the direction of Y. Silantyev , created in 1945. In 1983, after the death of Silantyev, he was led by A. A. Petukhov , then M. M. Kazhlaev . Symphony orchestras also included orchestras of the Moscow Hermitage Theater, the Moscow and Leningrad variety theaters, the Blue Screen orchestra (directed by B. Karamyshev), the Leningrad Concert Orchestra (headed by A. Badchen), the State Variety Orchestra of the Latvian SSR led by Raymond Paulsa , State Pop and Symphony Orchestra of the State Radio and Television of the Ukrainian SSR, Presidential Orchestra of Ukraine and others.

Most often, symphony orchestras are used during song gala performances, television contests, less often for instrumental music. Studio work (recording music in the radio and film fund, on sound media, creating phonograms) prevails over the concert. Symphony orchestras have become a kind of laboratory of domestic, light and jazz music .

The jazz orchestra is one of the most interesting and peculiar phenomena of modern music. Arising later than all other orchestras, he began to work on other forms of music - chamber, symphony, and music of brass bands. Jazz uses many of the instruments of the symphony orchestra, but has a quality 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 more than in a military march or waltz). In this regard, in any jazz orchestra there is a special group of instruments - the rhythm section. The jazz orchestra has another feature - the prevailing role of jazz improvisation leads to a noticeable variability of its composition. However, there are several types of jazz orchestras (approximately 7-8): chamber combo (although this is the area of ​​the ensemble, but it must be indicated, since it is the essence of the rhythm section), the Dixieland chamber ensemble, the small jazz orchestra is a big band of small composition , a large jazz orchestra without strings - a big band, a large jazz orchestra with strings (not a symphonic type) - an expanded big band, a sympho-jazz orchestra.

The rhythm section of all types of jazz orchestra usually includes percussion, stringed plucked and keyboard instruments. This is a jazz drum kit (1 performer), consisting of several rhythm cymbals, several accent cymbals, several tom-toms (either Chinese or African), pedal cymbals, a snare drum and a special kind of large drum of African origin - the “Ethiopian (Kenyan) barrel "(Her sound is much softer than the Turkish big 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 (chokalo, cabasa), bells, wooden boxes, Senegalese bells (agogo), clave , etc. Other instruments of the rhythm section already holding a melodic and harmonic pulse: a piano, guitar or banjo (a special kind of North African guitar), acoustic bass or double bass (which is played only with a pinch). In large orchestras, sometimes there are several guitars, a guitar with a banjo, both types of bass. A rarely used tube is a wind bass instrument for the rhythm section. Large orchestras (big bands of all 3 types and sympho-jazz) often use vibraphone , marimba , flexaton , ukulele, blues guitar (both last are slightly electrified, along with bass), but these instruments are no longer included in the rhythm section.

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

In dixieland, there are 1-2 pipes, 1 trombone, clarinet or soprano saxophone, sometimes alt or tenor saxophone, 1-2 violins. In the rhythm section of the dixieland, the banjo is used more often than the guitar. Examples: the ensemble of Louis Armstrong ( USA ), the ensemble of Alexander Tsfasman ( USSR ).

In a small big band there can be 3 pipes, 1-2 trombones, 3-4 saxophones (soprano = tenor, viola, baritone, everyone also plays clarinets), 3-4 violins, sometimes a cello. Examples: First Ellington Orchestra 1929-1935 (USA), Bratislava Hot Serenaders (Slovakia).

The big big band usually has 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 viola, 2 tenors = soprano, baritone).

The extended big band can have up to 5 pipes (with specific pipes), up to 5 trombones, additional saxophones and clarinets (5–7 common saxophones and clarinets), stringed strings (no more than 4–6 violins, 2 alto, 3 cellos) , sometimes a horn, flute, small flute (only in the USSR). Similar experiments in jazz were performed in the USA by Duke Ellington , Artie Shaw , Glenn Miller , Stanley Kenton , County Basie , in Cuba - Pacito d'Rivera , Arturo Sandoval , in the USSR - Eddie Rosner , Leonid Utesov .

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

Special types of jazz orchestras - a brass jazz orchestra (a brass band with a rhythm section of jazz, including a guitar group and with a decrease in the role of the flugelhorns ), a church jazz orchestra ( now exists only in Latin America , includes an organ , choir, church bells, the whole rhythm section, drums without bells and agogo, saxophones, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, stringed strings), a jazz-rock ensemble (a group of Miles Davis , from the Soviet and Russian Arsenal , etc.), accordion ensembles and orchestras (for example, Russia - Orchestra Mirnova from St. Petersburg, also performs classical repertoire), orchestras of some drums and other compounds.

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

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