Essential Question
How does the number
of musicians in an
orchestra relate to the
quality of its sound?
Unit Questions
• How many musicians are in a typical
orchestra?
• What are the families of instruments that
make up an orchestra?
• How has the orchestra evolved into the
modern day orchestra?
The
Instruments
of the
Orchestra
By
Michael Jackson
Unit Overview
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History of the Orchestra
Modern Arrangement of Families
Meet the Woodwinds
Meet the Strings & Harp
Meet the Brass Instruments
Meet the Percussion Instruments
History of the Orchestra
Originates from ancient Greece.
First purpose was to accompany plays.
Claudio Monteverdi, Italian composer used orchestra to
accompany his first opera, Orfeo.
Had 40 players
Violins & viols
Flutes
Shawms (early oboes)
Trumpets
Sackbuts (early trombones)
Harpsichord, organ, and harp
Modern Arrangement of
Instruments
Meet The Woodwinds
• Woodwinds are basically tubes pierced with holes.
• They produce sound through the vibration of the air column
inside the tube.
• Some woodwinds have reeds. A reed is a thin piece of cane that
vibrates when blown across.
– Piccolo: Highest Pitched; Mimics sound of bird; Smallest of
family
– Flute: No Reed
– Clarinet: Single Reed; Expressive tone
– Oboe: Double Reed; Sad tone
– Bassoon: Double Reed; Lowest Pitched
WOODWINDS
Clarinet
Double Reed
Bassoon
Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Meet the Strings & Harp
• Largest Section of the Orchestra
• Crafted by carving, shaping and glueing wood pieces together; no nails or screws
are used.
• Each instrument has four strings, the vibrations of which makes the instrument
sound.
• Come in many sizes:
– the larger the instrument, the lower the sound,
– the smaller the instrument, the higher the sound.
• Sound is made on string instruments by playing their strings two ways; plucking
or bowing.
– Violin: Smallest member of family
– Viola: Slightly larger than violin with a much warmer and lower tone
– Cello: Bass member of family; musician must sit to play instrument
– Double Bass: Lowest pitch of family; mostly played while standing
– Harp: Largest of family; has 45 strings
STRINGS & HARP
Violin
Viola
Cello
Harp
Double
Bass
Meet the Brass Instruments
Metallic loops of tubing, in different lengths, with a
mouthpiece at one end and a bell shape at the other.
The longer the length of tubing, the lower the sound.
Brass players' lips act as reeds.
Sound is produced by buzzing with the lips while
blowing in the mouthpiece.
Most have valves that are pressed and released to change
and produce different tones.
The trombone has a slide that when moved changes the
length of tubing, and therefore the pitch.
All brass instruments have mutes that are placed in the
bell to soften the tone or change tone color.
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
Trumpet
Trombone
French Horn
Tuba
Meet the Percussion Instruments
Made of naturally resonant materials like skin, wood or metal.
Sound is produced when the instrument is struck.
The role of this section is to provide rhythm and character to the
orchestra.
These instruments range from simple wooden blocks to tuned
instruments.
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
Cymbals
Glockenspiel
Snare Drum
Chimes
Tambourine
Timpani
Triangle
Xylophone
Sound Examples
For Sound Examples of Each Instrument
Go To
The Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Instrument Webpage
http://www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm
Click Button Above To Enter Site
The End