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orchestra

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thumb|upright=1.35|Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra thumb|upright=1.35|National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments:

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An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing instruments from different families—such as strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion—that typically perform classical music together. Orchestras matter because they create complex, layered musical sounds that individual instruments or smaller groups cannot produce alone, and they have been central to Western classical music tradition for centuries.

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Orchestras
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Article

33 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Baroque and classical eras
  • Beethoven's influence
  • Instrumental technology
  • Wagner's influence
  • 20th-century orchestra
  • Instrumentation
  • Expanded instrumentation
  • Late Baroque orchestra
  • Classical orchestra
  • Early Romantic orchestra
  • Late Romantic orchestra
  • Modern/Postmodern orchestra
  • Organization
  • Selection and appointment of members
  • History of gender in ensembles
  • Amateur ensembles
  • Repertoire and performances
  • Performances
  • Issues in performance
  • Faking
  • Counter-revolution
  • Recent trends in the United States
  • Role of conductor
  • Conductorless orchestras
  • Multiple conductors
  • Offstage instruments
  • Contemporary music
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References
  • Further reading
  • External links

thumb|upright=1.35|Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra thumb|upright=1.35|National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: The string section, including the violin, viola, cello, and double bass and Harp The woodwind section, including the flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and occasionally saxophone The brass section, including the French horn (commonly known as the "horn"), trumpet, trombone, cornet, and tuba, and sometimes euphonium The percussion section, including the timpani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, tambourine, tam-tam and mallet percussion instruments

Other instruments such as the piano, harpsichord, pipe organ, free-bass accordion and celesta may sometimes appear in a fifth keyboard section or may stand alone as soloist instruments, as may the concert harp and, for performances of some modern compositions, electronic instruments, and guitars.

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