The orchestra is understood as a collective of musicians playing musical instruments. The homeland of the orchestra is Ancient Egypt, it was then the first idea to combine the sound of several musical instruments.
Then small groups of musicians gathered and performed simple compositions at various events: weddings, funerals and solemn events. The first piece written especially for the orchestra is the score of Monteverdi called “Orpheus”. It was created for 40 instruments, which were played by musicians who served at the court of the Duke.
Later, in the Middle Ages, there was a widespread distribution of orchestras, which were collected from related instruments. Musical instruments which did not belong to the same class were rarely combined.
Further, in the 18th century, the first orchestra was organized. It consisted of stringed instruments. There played violins, double basses, cellos. The combination of these instruments made it possible to play in four-voice harmony.
As for the head of the team, he simultaneously played both the organ and the harpsichord. Further, the orchestras expanded and could boast of great variety. They included flutes and oboes. It is noteworthy that music was played by the same people, so they could not be heard at the same time. At the end of the 18th century, the orchestra already included pipes and percussion instruments.
The word itself comes from the “orchestra” – it is a platform of a circular form, which was installed in front of the stage of the theaters of Ancient Greece.