how many instruments in a full symphony orchestra
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.
Concerto A concerto (/kənˈtʃɛərtoʊ/; plural concertos, anglicised from the Italian concerti, which is also used in English) is a musical composition, whose characteristics have changed over time. In the 17th century, "sacred works for voices and orchestra were typically called concertos."[1] J. S. Bach "...was thus reflecting a long-standing tradition when he used the title 'concerto' for many of the works that we know as cantatas."[1] However, in recent centuries and up to the present, a concerto is a piece usually composed in three parts or movements, in which—usually—one solo instrument (for instance, a piano, violin, cello or flute) is accompanied by an orchestra or concert band.