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Symphony Orchestra and Composers - History & Advancements

Introduction

Ever since the musical instruments evolved; there would have been some sort of orchestras. Yet, the seventeenth century outlines the pedigree of the symphony orchestra. An orchestra is a group of musicians playing together, under the command of a conductor, who synchronizes the music along the same cascade. The instrumentalist, generally termed as the conductor, directs the musicians according to the musical notes placed in front of him. The layout of the orchestra differs, but is by and large a tried and tested set-up. The organization of the orchestra is however contingent upon on multiple factors like the conductor, size of the stage and at times on the strength of the players. However, the typical format is such that the players are accommodated in an arc contour facing the conductor, with their strings and other instruments right in front.

Discussion

The historical evolution of the symphony orchestra dates back to the seventeenth century, when small groups of choir played some arbitrary range of instruments. Yet, the format and arrangements of these groups differed. It was not until the while when Monteverdi came and set up a benchmark for these groups after establishing the opera genre in Italy. He ascertained that the musicians had a federation of associated instruments, many of which were viols, precursors of today's stringed instruments. Subsequently, the significance of the string groups augmented when Lully, a court composer to Louis XIV of France, formed a string orchestra called the '24 Royal String Players'. The late seventeenth and early on eighteenth centuries marked the development of the solo string concerto and concerto grosso by the Italian violinists and composers including Tartini, Torelli, Vivaldi and Correlli.

Composers Contribution to it's Development

The initial composers inscribed simple pieces, accentuating on bass lines treble and bass lines. The first and second instruments played in collaboration with the third. The violas and at times the double bass amplified the cello part. Various other instruments like the recorders, timpani and the horns were added to the band as required by composers, sometimes as soloists while other times to provide special effects. Also, the harpsichord continuo persistently filled the ensemble, further boosted by basso continuo, the single cello.

In the latter part of seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the orchestral sounds were absolutely richer and fuller than the early seventeenth century since then strength of the orchestra expanded to some 35 members, nonetheless, the number yet varied across different areas. During this era, the monumental music progressed in eminence to set off the vocal music. Moreover, this era also witnessed the emergence of the Classical orchestra. The woodwinds were reinstated as a proper section, typically pooled in pairs. The pair of horns eventually supplanted the continuo, satiating the quality of the orchestra. Most of the works of the classical period including Haydn's last and Beethoven's earlier symphonies incorporated this particular pattern.

In addition to this, a well-known orchestra of this era was the Mannheim Orchestra, which encompassed ...