orchestra and orchestration: The Eighteenth-Century Classical Orchestra

During the latter half of the 18th cent. the classical orchestra was gradually established through the disuse of the continuo and the acceptance of the clarinet. The abandonment of the continuo led to much greater independence in the string parts, which now had to fill the harmony unaided. Instead of both violin parts doubling the melody and the violas, cellos, and basses doubling the bass, there were now four distinct parts. The clarinet, like the flute, first appeared as an alternate for the oboe, but in the late works of Haydn and Mozart the orchestra was standardized, with pairs of flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, French horns, trumpets, and kettledrums in addition to the strings. All the wind instruments, especially the woodwinds, could carry the melody, providing desired changes of color.

Sections in this article:

• Introduction
• Orchestras of Note
• Innovations of the Twentieth Century
• Orchestras in the Nineteenth Century
• The Eighteenth-Century Classical Orchestra
• Early History of Orchestras and Orchestration
• Instruments of the Orchestra
• Bibliography

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