Musical ensemble
A
musical ensemble is a group of two or more
musicians who gather to perform
music. There are several denominations of ensembles according to their size and composition.
The terms
duet,
trio,
quartet,
quintet,
sextet,
septet,
octet, and
nonet are used to describe groups of two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine musicians, respectively. In
classical music, these arrangements are commonly referred to as
chamber music.
Four parts
A common quartet is the
string quartet, composed of two
violins, a
viola and a
violoncello. A
quartet (string, wind etc.) is an ensemble of 4 players and is also the name for music written (e.g. by
Mozart,
Beethoven) for an ensemble of 4 players.
Five parts
The most usual string
quintet is similar to the string quartet, but with the viola duplicated. In some cases, though, it is the violoncello that is duplicated. Terms such as "piano quintet" or "clarinet quintet" frequently refer to a string quarter
plus a fifth instrument. Thus, a
piano quintet is usually a string quartet plus a
piano.
Mozart's Clarinet Quintet is similarly a piece written for an ensemble consisting of 2 violins, a viola, a cello and a clarinet, the last being the exceptional addition to a "normal" string quartet.
Another fairly common grouping in classical music is the
wind quintet, usually consisting of
flute,
oboe,
clarinet,
bassoon and
horn.
Six or more instruments
A group with more instruments is usually called an
orchestra. A small orchestra is called a
chamber orchestra. A
symphony orchestra is a large body of several tens and often more than a hundred musicians, divided in groups of instruments:
strings (including
violins (I and II),
violas,
violoncellos,
basses),
woodwind,
brass,
percussion, and sometimes more. The description Philharmonic (from Greek philos: love) was originally used by amateur orchestras, distinguishing them from professional Symphony orchestras, but nowadays professional classical orchestras may use either term in their titles. A
Sinfonietta usually denotes a somewhat smaller orchestra (though still not a chamber orchestra), and the terms
concert or
pops orchestra usually mean an orchestra concentrating mainly on the light classical and more popular repertoire. A
string orchestra has only
strings, i.e., violins, violas, violoncellos and
basses.
See also: String trio,
String sextet,
string.
Three parts
In
jazz, the most common trio consists of a rhythm section of
piano,
bass and
drums. However, trios consist also of horn, bass & drums, or piano, bass & horn. Jazz duos are less common, but often include a horn & one of the rhythm section's instruments.
Four parts
A quartet would typically add a
horn (the generic jazz name for
saxophones,
trombones,
trumpets, or any other
wind instrument commonly associated with jazz) while larger ensembles would add further instruments. The lineup of jazz ensembles can vary considerably.
Sung dramas such as
operas and
musicals usually have numbers where several of the
principals are singing together, either on their own or with the
chorus. Such numbers (
duets,
trios etc) are also referred to as 'ensembles'.
In the 1900's, the Wind Symphony or
Wind Ensemble became popular, especially in academic circles. A
wind ensemble consists entirely of
wind instruments and
percussion instruments, but may also include stringed bass. Schools from elementary level onward often have a
school band program which is usually centered around its
wind ensemble, often known as a
concert band.
A
choir is a group of voices. Sometimes the group of similar instruments in an orchestra are referred to as a choir. For example, the
woodwind instruments of a symphony orchestra could be called the woodwind choir.
A group that plays
popular music or
military music is usually called a
band. Classical musicians colloquially refer even to the likes of the
Chicago Symphony Orchestra as their
band.
A group that plays anything from jazz to orchestral, military to popular music while marching on a football field, without being a true marching band, is called a
drum and bugle corps. All drum corps perform on brass and percussion instruments only, and some corps perform on bugles in the key of G, while others perform on brass instruments in multiple keys, depending on the group. Drum and Bugle Corps are known for maximizing power and pagentry in their performances, while performing incredibly difficult programs.
*
Jug band*
Mexican Mariachi groups typically consist of:
** at least two
violins
** two
trumpets
** one
Spanish guitar** one
vihuela (a high-pitched, five-string guitar)
** one
Guitarrón (a small-scaled acoustic bass).
* A
gamelan is an ensemble of
Indonesian origin (usually
Balinese or
Javanese). There are dozens of varieties of gamelan ensembles with musicians playing
metallophones,
drums,
flutes,
bamboo and wooden
marimbas and
gongs.
* The
Steelpan created in
Trinidad and Tobago are the core components of
percussion ensembles called
Steelbands that play
Calypso music.
