An orchestra is a musical ensemble used most often in classical music. A small orchestra (about forty players) is called a chamber orchestra.

A full size orchestra (about 104 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these prefixes do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played, and the size of the venue. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty members; some are much smaller than that.

Instrumentation and proportions

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The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments, generally appearing in the musical score in the following order (with proportions indicated):

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@Willow135 ...put up with the constant politics of amateur orchestras. I gave up on that and mainly stick to chamber music now.
Peapodsmummy (Melanie Harvey) Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:53:52 -0000
@Willow135 ...put up with the constant politics of amateur orchestras. I gave up on that and mainly stick to chamber music now.

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