how the size of the orchestra has changed
Orchestra
A full - size orchestra may sometimes be called a symphony orchestra or philharmonic orchestra . The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians , depending on the work being played and the size of the venue . The term chamber orchestra ( and sometimes concert orchestra ) usually refers to smaller - sized ensembles of about fifty musicians or fewer . Orchestras that specialize in the Baroque music of , for example , Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel , or Classical repertoire , such as that of Haydn and Mozart , tend to be smaller than orchestras performing a Romantic music repertoire , such as the symphonies of Johannes Brahms . The typical orchestra grew in size throughout the 18th and 19th centuries , reaching a peak with the large orchestras ( of as many as 120 players ) called for in the works of Richard Wagner , and later , Gustav Mahler . In recent decades some orchestras have returned to the Baroque , Classical and Early Romantic seating of musicians ; second violins to the right , cellos and violas to the center which gives the music a stereophonic effect . 
A full - size orchestra may sometimes be called a symphony orchestra or philharmonic orchestra . The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians , depending on the work being played and the size of the venue . The term chamber orchestra ( and sometimes concert orchestra ) usually refers to smaller - sized ensembles of about fifty musicians or fewer . Orchestras that specialize in the Baroque music of , for example , Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel , or Classical repertoire , such as that of Haydn and Mozart , tend to be smaller than orchestras performing a Romantic music repertoire , such as the symphonies of Johannes Brahms . The typical orchestra grew in size throughout the 18th and 19th centuries , reaching a peak with the large orchestras ( of as many as 120 players ) called for in the works of Richard Wagner , and later , Gustav Mahler . In recent decades some orchestras have returned to the Baroque , Classical and Early Romantic seating of musicians ; second violins to the right , cellos and violas to the center which gives the music a stereophonic effect .
The typical orchestra grew in size throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, reaching a peak with large orchestras of as many as 120 players. Now the actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians, depending on the work being played and the size of the venue.
The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians , depending on the work being played and the size of the venue . The typical orchestra grew in size throughout the 18th and 19th centuries , reaching a peak with the large orchestras ( of as many as 120 players ) called for in the works of Richard Wagner , and later , Gustav Mahler .
The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians , depending on the work being played and the size of the venue. Orchestras that specialize in the Baroque music tend to be smaller than orchestras performing a Romantic music repertoire.
The actual number of musicians employed in a given performance may vary from seventy to over one hundred musicians , depending on the work being played and the size of the venue . Orchestras that specialize in the Baroque music of , for example , Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel , or Classical repertoire , such as that of Haydn and Mozart , tend to be smaller than orchestras performing a Romantic music repertoire , such as the symphonies of Johannes Brahms .