Importance of Orchestras in Musical Culture

Around the globe orchestras are a culturally significant performing group exhibiting artistic performance and cooperation. They create the connection between two communities enabling audience within that forum to embrace a number of emotions through melody. Actually it is also important to state that orchestras act as trainers and educators too, as they nurture talents and foster a passion for arts in people, and especially among young talents.

Besides performance, orchestras have socio cultural role of continuing the culture through continuation of the compositions and a means of creating new material. Such orchestras for instance the Chappaqua Orchestra play a crucial role in the cultural enhancement of towns and cities where such Orchestras are situated, by offering both entertainment and music education. Their existence to the present time demonstrates how much the human race has appreciated music in the general way.

History of the Orchestra

A brief history of the orchestra is a walk through the complete timeline in the history of music groups and specifically, orchestras. The evolution of music from the early ages to the big orchestras is well explained and appreciable to show how humanity stills relates to music.

Early Beginnings

Origins in Ancient Greece and Rome

The background of the orchestra dates back to as early as the ancient Greeks who used music in their theatre and other religious activities. The very word orchestra derives from the Greek orkhēstra, which indicated the place in front of the stage where the chorus danced. These early ensembles were mainly of flutes, lyre and percussion and were used in support of drama.

Music remained an important element of the daily life in Ancient Rome in form of public performances, religious ceremonies and private events. Roman ensembles also increased the number of instruments adding the cornu and tuba – brass instruments. Though these early groups were no way near the sophisticated organized orchestras of the following centuries, they paved way for the later.

Influence of Medieval and Renaissance Music

While people in medieval Europe (500–1400) started to have more distinguishable musical identities. Although vocal music dominated most of the periods, instrumental music was gradually emerging and small groups entertained in courts and church. Lute, vielle or the precursor to violin and early predecessors to wood wind instruments began to be used.

The period which was between 1400 to 1600 was known as renaissance in which remarkable improvement in the theory of music as well as the technique of composing music and construction of instruments were developed. Large groups became better coordinated, and composers started trying to use various groupings of instruments. In this period harmony and polyphony were established, and later on lead to the orchestral of the Baroque period.

medieval Europe