Definition of Philharmonic Orchestra

In its historical origin a philharmonic orchestra was a association musical that was made up of fans of the music and they didn't have to be musicians. This sense has already disappeared and today the philharmonic orchestra is equivalent to the symphony orchestra.

A philharmonic orchestra is the highest level musical ensemble in Western culture. It is made up of an instrumental set, in such a way that the different groups of instruments intervene at the same time, that is, in unison. To achieve this effect, the musicians who make it up match their performance techniques and obey the conductor's signal. It is made up of between 95 and 106 performers and takes part in performances of symphonic concerts, works by theater lyrical, opera or ballet performances.

Its historical origin

The modern philharmonic orchestra has its origin in Europe, specifically in France and Great Britain in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This musical modality comes from the old chamber orchestras that played in the halls and palaces of the courts.

Orchestra formation

The orchestra is made up of four families or sections: the string instruments, the wind instruments wood, those of breath of metal and the percussion ones. The classification of musical instruments is carried out systematically depending on the materials used, their way of execution, evolution historical and its location on the stage. The classification follows the way the sound is produced and the way it is played and built.

Depending on the sound, bowstring instruments (such as the violin, viola or the cello, which are similar in structure and the smaller one produces sharp sounds and the larger one sounds more serious). This family instruments must be added two others: the harp and the piano.

Wood Breath Instruments

Also involved are wooden breath instruments, which have a bamboo mouthpiece, a reed or a bezel through which you blow to produce the sound and, at the same time, They have a mechanism of keys that are operated by closing the holes of the instrument (this section consists of the piccolo, the flute, the oboe, the English horn, the clarinet, the bassoon and the contrabassoon). There are also instruments such as horns, trumpets or trombones and in the external part of the orchestra there are percussion instruments. Thus, all of them are grouped into three sections: string, wind and percussion.