Cymbals: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The cymbals look like two giant metal discs which are either rubbed together to make a rustling sound, or stuck together to make a large crash!”
Cymbals: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“In the orchestra the pair of cymbals is used chiefly to stress important musical accents, but it can also be used as a quiet rhythm instrument in the background, together with the bass drum, for example.”
Xylophone: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The term xylophone is derived from two ancient Greek words: xylon (= wood) and phoné (= sound). Technically, every instrument that consists of a row of wood bars of various lengths which are arranged according to pitch and struck with mallets, is a xylophone. ”
Xylophone: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The xylophone is part of the percussion family, and is composed of a frame which supports wooden bars of varying lengths, generally placed in the same way as a piano keyboard.”
Marimba: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The marimba looks almost exactly the same as the xylophone, but is larger, has a lower register (from bass through tenor to alto) and a wider compass. It is a xylophone with resonators – xylo-phon simply means "wood sounder" – pitched an octave deeper.”
Marimba: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“There are various ingenious ways in which the marimba is designed to produce musical notes, including in places you cannot see, as well as through the length and thickness of the wood.”
Bass Clarinet: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“A bass clarinet has a neck instead of a barrel, and the bell of the instrument has a slot for a peg on the back of it. The peg is there to support the weight of the instrument on the ground while player is sitting.”
Bass Clarinet: Brief Description — Vienna Symphony Library
“As is evident from the name, the bass clarinet is the bass instrument of the clarinet family. It has been used to provide the bass voice in the orchestra woodwind section since the middle of the 19th century, a role it shares with the bassoon. The bass clarinet is appreciated for its expressive timbre, which is often poetically described as ”dark velvet”.“
Bass Clarinet: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Part of the woodwind family, the bass clarinet has the deepest sound of the clarinet family. The instrument is so big that it must be supported by a floor peg.”
Bass Drum: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The bass drum covers the bass register within the orchestra percussion section, while the tenor drum corresponds to the tenor, the snare drum to the treble register.”
Bass Drum: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The bass drum is made of a cylindrical wooden frame called the shell, with two thin sheets of plastic pulled taut across either side to create the drum heads.”
Bassoon: Brief Description — VSL
“The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the tenor and bass register. Like the oboe, the bassoon is a double-reed instrument, because the mouthpiece has two reeds that lie very close together. Unlike the oboe the shawm-like sound that this mouthpiece produces is tempered by the U-shaped bend of its wind duct, so that bassoon notes are not a homogeneous continuation of the lowest notes of the oboe’s compass.”
Bassoon: Grove Music Online
“A wooden conical wind instrument, sounded with a double reed, which forms the tenor and bass to the woodwind section. In the modern orchestra, the family exists in two different sizes: the bassoon and the double bassoon or contrabassoon, sounding one octave lower. Built in four joints, its precursor the dulcian was of one-piece construction.”
Bassoon: Instrumentation Series — David Newman
“David Newman explains the role of the Bassoon and Contrabassoon in film music in comparison to concert music.”
Bassoon: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“From deep resounding low notes to sweet melodies, unhindered expression. The long, wide wooden pipe of the bassoon contains much wisdom.”
Bassoon: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Like its cousins the oboe and English horn, the sound of a bassoon is produced by vibrations formed by the player blowing through a double reed fixed to a long, curved metal tube called a bocal, which connects the reed to the body of the instrument.”
Celesta: Brief Description — VSL
“The celesta was invented at the end of the 19th century after several experiments and immediately found inclusion in the orchestra. It possesses an interesting dual character: the way its sound is produced makes it a percussion instrument (idiophone), but it is played as a keyboard instrument, usually by a pianist. Celesta parts are lively and quick and often require great virtuosity.”
Cello: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The cello has four strings. Listed in ascending order, they are: C, G, D, A. The C is the thickest and lowest-sounding string. The A is the highest-sounding string and the thinnest.”
Cello: Brief Description — VSL
“The cello (violoncello) is the tenor and bass instrument of the violin family (violin, viola, cello). In the 19th century the cello advanced along with the violin to become the most important bowed instrument for solo works. In the 20th century cellists began to specialize more, concentrating more on solo, chamber or orchestral playing.”
Cello: Grove Music Online
“The bass instrument of the violin family. In the Hornbostel-Sachs system it is classified as a bowed lute (fiddle). The violoncello’s present name means, in Italian, a ‘small large viol’, as it employs both the superlative suffix -one, and a diminutive one, -ello. Such a bizarre name suggests that its early history is not straightforward.”
Cello: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Much larger than its smaller cousins, the cello is played while sitting, with the body of the instrument placed between the legs of the player.”
Clarinet: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The Clarinet is made up of three parts: the headjoint, body and foot. When connecting the pieces, the hole in the headjoint should line up in a straight line with the row of keys on the body. The main rod on the body of the Clarinet should line up with the middle of the keys on the foot joint.”
Clarinet: Brief Description — VSL
“The clarinet is the most recent addition to the woodwind family (flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet) and was the last woodwind to be integrated into the symphony orchestra (during the period of “Viennese Classicism” in the 2nd half of the 18th century).”
Clarinet: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The appeal of the clarinet is its rich variety of expression, which ranges from a light timbre to a deep mysterious timbre. It also boasts a register of approximately four octaves-the largest of any wind instrument.”
Clarinet: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Like the oboe, the sound is produced with a reed. This time it is a flat, single reed attached to a plastic mouthpiece, into which the player blows, which causes the vibrations to resonate through the instrument, giving it the dynamic range for which it is known.”
Contrabass, brief description
“The double-bass is the contrabass instrument of the string section and is not strictly speaking a member of the violin family (violin, viola, cello). The double-bass differs in several ways from the instruments of the violin family. In its modern form it is a hybrid, combining elements of both the viola da gamba and the violin families.”
Contrabass: Academic Bass Portal
"A site conceived as a research tool for the collection, dissemination and the advancement of the cumulative double bass knowledge. The goal of this portal is to provide the world’s most comprehensive double bass bibliography in a format that is always current, accessible and upgradeable."
Contrabass: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The double bass, or just bass for short, is the lowest instrument in the string family. Like the cello, the instrument is fixed to the ground with an endpin.”
Contrabassoon: Brief Description — VSL
“The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is the contrabass instrument in the woodwind section and, together with the contrabass tuba, the deepest instrument in the orchestra.”
Contrabassoon: Instrumentation Series — David Newman
“David Newman explains the role of the Bassoon and Contrabassoon in film music in comparison to concert music.”
English horn: Brief Description — VSL
“The cor anglais, or English horn, is the alto instrument of the oboe family (oboe: soprano, oboe d’amore: mezzo-soprano, English horn: alto, Heckelphone: baritone). In 19th century scores the English horn was called for as alto oboe.”
English horn: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Part of the woodwind family, the English horn is a larger version of the oboe with a pear-shaped bell, usually made of grenadilla wood. There is usually only one in an orchestra and the player sits in the oboe section. The player blows into a double reed which vibrates and resonates into the instrument, producing a sweet and melancholic sound. The range of the English horn is slightly lower than that of the oboe.”
Flute
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“A melodic instrument for the most part, the flute has a clear and bright sound with a distinctive warmth, refinement, and subtlety to its tone.”
Flute, brief description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The concert flute is an edge-tone instrument and consists of three pieces of tubing: the headjoint, middle joint (body) and footjoint. The lip plate and embouchure are set in the conical headjoint. If the embouchure is set on a little plateau it is known as a reform embouchure. This slight elevation facilitates attack, which makes it especially popular with beginners. The upper end of the headjoint is closed by the stopper, which is movable and enables slight adjustments to intonation.”
Flute: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The flute is made up of three parts: The headjoint, body and foot. When connecting the pieces, the hole in the headjoint should line up in a straight line with the row of keys on the body. The main rod on the body of the flute should line up with the middle of the keys on the foot joint.”
Flute: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Though the modern flute is constructed of metal, it is actually considered part of the woodwind family, as earlier iterations of the instrument were made of wood. Modern flutes are made of silver, gold, or platinum.”
Guitar: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The classical guitar can play a wide range of types of music-from classical music to bossa nova and jazz. Dubbed a mini-orchestra, the classical guitar covers an impressive range of timbres.”
Harp: Brief Description — VSL
“Harps may come in a variety of shapes and sizes but they all have three components in common: the soundbox (body), the neck and the strings. In 1914 the Berlin musicologists Ernst Moritz von Hornbostel and Curt Sachs defined harps as follows: a harp is any stringed instrument whose string plane is vertical to the soundbox. This is true of both triangular and rectangular instruments as well as those with a simple mechanism or a complex one.”
Harp: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Though there are numerous types of harps, it’s the classical harp which is used in an orchestra. Played by plucking the strings, it is a real challenge for the fingers of anyone who decides to play it.”
Harpsichord: Encyclopedia Britannica
“Harpsichord, keyboard musical instrument in which strings are set in vibration by plucking. It was one of the most important keyboard instruments in European music from the 16th through the first half of the 18th century.”
Horn: Brief Description — Vienna Symphony Library
“The tubing of the Viennese horn is 55% conical and narrower than the most commonly used double horn in F/Bb. The so-called F crook is not a fixed part of the Viennese horn but is detachable. Other tunings are used especially for natural horn parts.“
Horn: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The horn is a brass instrument whose soft resonant timbre allows it to harmonize well with both brass and woodwind instruments. One of the unique aspects of this instrument is that the player keeps a hand in the bell while playing.”
Horn: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“In the brass family, the French horn, or just horn for short, is easily identified thanks to its round body. It is constructed out of brass, a mix of copper and zinc, lending it its golden colour.”
Oboe: An Overview — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The oboe is normally made of grenadilla, a very dense wood, and its keys are made of metal. Like the English horn and bassoon, one produces a sound with an ancient and very peculiar invention: the double reed!”
Oboe: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The oboe reed is the part of your instrument that generates sound when you blow through it. The reed fits into the hole at the top of the oboe.”
Oboe: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“Oboes, whose name comes from the French for "high-pitched wood," are excellent for solo performances with many notes in high ranges. The oboe is extremely difficult to play.”
Oboe: Overview — Bloomingdale School of Music
“The oboe, a double reed instrument in the woodwind family, is one of the most beautiful, important, and unique musical instruments. With a long history dating back as far as ancient Greece, it has developed through the centuries into one of the most challenging and distinct instruments in the modern orchestra.”
Oboe: Overview — Grove Music Online
“Generic term in the system of Hornbostel and Sachs for an aerophone with a double (concussion) reed (for detailed classification see Aerophone). The name is taken from that of the principal treble double-reed instrument of Western art music.”
Oboe: Two Worlds of Sound — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The appearance of the two instruments differs in that the French oboe has a long, thin tube of plain design with a gently flaring bell whereas the Viennese oboe still possesses the characteristics of the classical oboe: the shorter, thick-walled tube; the baluster on the upper joint; the widening at the tenon joints and the bell-shaped bell.”
Organ: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“When you visit a large concert hall, at the back of the stage you will often see rows of metal pipes, all in line. Nearby you will probably see a console with a keyboard, and space for an organist. This is a pipe organ.”
Piano: Encyclopedia Britannica
“piano, also called pianoforte, French pianoor pianoforte, German Klavier, a keyboard musical instrument having wire strings that sound when struck by felt-covered hammers operated from a keyboard. The standard modern piano contains 88 keys and has a compass of seven full octaves plus a few keys.”
Piano: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound by striking strings with hammers, characterized by its large range and ability to play chords freely. It is a musical instrument that has broad appeal.”
Piano: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“There are two kinds of instruments in the string family, the first are the “bowed” instruments, like the violin. The second are the plucked, or hammered instruments, like the piano, whose strings are struck by a small hammer which moves when a player pushes down a key.”
Piccolo: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Only half the size of a regular flute, it is the highest instrument of the entire orchestra, bringing brilliance and vibrancy. It is easy to discern its high timbre even when the orchestra plays “tutti”, meaning everyone together at once.”
Piccolo Flute: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“Although the mechanism and fingerings are the same, the piccolo is quite different than the flute and it should be approached as a separate instrument. As the highest voice in the ensemble, the piccolo is often exposed, adding color to the texture and should be played with confidence.”
Piccolo Flute: Encyclopedia Britannica
“Piccolo, (Italian: “small flute”) in full flauto piccolo, highest-pitched woodwind instrument of orchestras and military bands. It is a small transverse (horizontally played) flute of conical or cylindrical bore, fitted with Boehm-system keywork and pitched an octave higher than the ordinary concert flute.”
Recorder: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The recorder is familiar to most as the instrument used today in school lessons. However, its history extends to ancient times, and modern day performers are active in a wide range of settings.”
Saxophone: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The Saxophone has two pieces to the body as well as a mouthpiece, ligature and mouthpiece cap. The reed is a small piece of cane placed on the mouthpiece. It is the wood part of this woodwind instrument, and it’s necessary for producing sounds on the saxophone.”
Saxophone: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The saxophone is an instrument with a tone somewhere between a brass instrument and a woodwind. The sax is a must in all types of music from jazz, to classical, to pop, when a smooth and bright sound is called for.”
Timpani: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The kettledrum, or timpani, an established member of the symphony orchestra since the 17th century, is the percussion instrument with the longest tradition.”
Timpani: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“A timpanist usually has four drums in front of them and uses different sticks to create the wide range of sounds required by the repertoire.”
Trombone: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The trombone consists of three parts: the bell with the tuning slide; the inner slide, open at the top and bottom with the mouthpipe and mouthpiece attached to its top part and the bell attached to its bottom; and the U-shaped movable outer slide, which connects the two open-ended parallel tubes of the inner slide.”
Trombone: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Part of the brass family, the trombone was originally played in religious settings before becoming part of the orchestra. While there are various kinds of trombones, with different registers and mechanisms, there are generally two tenor trombones and one bass trombone in an orchestra.”
Trumpet: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The trumpet in C consists of the trumpet tube and bell, the mouthpipe with detachable mouthpiece, three valves and the tuning slide, with which the overall tuning of the instrument can be altered. The tuning slide has a water key. In many cases, all three valves have valve slides which can be pulled out with a trigger to correct the intonation of individual notes.“
Trumpet: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The trumpet is characterized by its striking, triumphal sound and by the fact that it boasts the highest register of all the brass instruments. It does splendid work, single-handedly giving expression to heroism and jubilation.”
Trumpet: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Part of the brass family, the trumpet is made from a metal alloy called brass, which is a mix of copper and zinc. There are generally two to four trumpets in an orchestra.”
Tuba: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The tuba, which produces the lowest pitched sound of all brass instruments, brings an essential luster and sheen to any musical genre from jazz and classical through to pops.”
Tuba: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“The player rests the instrument on their leg, who produces sound by blowing and “buzzing” into the mouthpiece, pushing down or releasing the valves to change the pitch.”
Viola: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The viola has four strings. In descending order, they are: A, D, G, C. The A is the thinnest and highest-sounding of the strings, and the C is the thickest and lowest..”
Viola: Brief Description — Vienna Symphonic Library
“The viola is the alto instrument of the violin family (violin, viola, cello). It is constructed using the same components as the violin, the only difference being the larger size. Its stately and dark timbre contrasts sharply with that of the violin and makes the viola perfectly suited as the violin family’s middle voice.”
Viola : The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
“Part of the string family, the viola can be thought of as the bigger cousin of the violin. Though practically identical, the sound of the viola is lower and less piercing than that of the violin.”
Violin: Beginner Guide — Music & Arts
“The violin has four strings. Listed in descending order, they are: E, A, D, G. The E string is the thinnest and highest-sounding of the strings, and the G is the thickest and lowest-sounding.”
Violin: Instrument Guide — Yamaha
“The neck is carved from a single piece of wood, and the part at the end that appears to wind in on itself is called the "scroll." The strings are attached to the tuning pegs, which are fitted inside narrowly carved holes, and held in place by friction.”
Violin: The Orchestra Up Close — Orchestre Métropolitain
The Orchestra Up Close highlights the role of the first violins in an orchestra, focusing on their leadership, placement, and the responsibilities of the concertmaster. It also features insights from an Orchestre Métropolitain violinist and includes musical examples showcasing the first violins. For more information, you can visit the page.
Wagner Tuba, brief description
“The Wagner tuba, conceived by Richard Wagner for his Ring of the Nibelung, is made in two sizes, Bb (tenor instrument) and F (bass instrument). In the symphony orchestra two of each instrument have always been used. Because they have a horn mouthpiece they are played by hornists.”