Evolution of the Orchestra Part 1 - Beginnings
July 31st 2006 02:00
Every day this week, I will be looking at a stage in the development of the orchestra we’ve come to know and love. To start things off, I’m going to look at how any type of massed ensemble first came about - the absolute primitive beginnings of the orchestra.
Although orchestras in a similar fashion to what we know them as today(with strings and wind both represented with a constant structure) probably started to exist during the 17th century, there were actually developments of groups of players long before this. Musicians were employed by civil authorities going as far back as the 13th century. By the beginning of the 14th century, civil musicians were employed in many centres across Europe, from Florence in Italy to Ypres in Belgium. The tasks of these civil employed musicians were varied. They could be employed for playing in public during periods of celebration, or to join with the choirs of churches. The latter was probably the more often occurrence, since the pervasive nature of religion during this period can not be stressed strongly enough.
English waits were a type of guard employed by authorities in England, and in addition to their duties as town watch they were usually instrumentalists of some simple wind instruments, most notably the shawm(a more raucous type of simple oboe). Over time, musical duties of the waits increased, and they were increasingly employed for the entertainment of monarchs. In 1589, Sir Francis Drake employed 5 Norwich waits, playing shawms, trombone and recorder, as entertainment on ship for his expedition to Lisbon. As well as being the first Ship’s Band, this demonstrates the small scale that music was still produced on when played by instruments(as opposed to choirs).
Germany had employed groups similar to waits, called Stadtpfeifer, since the 13th century, but another step towards the modern orchestra was taken in the 16th century with the development of ‘Turmmusik’, meaning ‘Tower Music’. This consisted of consorts of various groups of instruments performing music at the top of the church or town-hall tower. They mostly played church chorales, but occasionally also played music specifically created for the consorts called ‘Turmsonaten’.
Instruments that were used by consorts from the 16th century onwards included shawms, lutes, drums, cornetts(a horn or wooden tube with finger holes but played like a trumpet), sackbuts(primitive trombones), recorders, fiddles(forerunners to violins), and trumpets. These instruments were often produced in different sizes to play in different ranges, in the way that recorders still are.
Obviously, this music was on a much smaller scale than even classical orchestras, a typical consort might consist of 8 to 10 people or less. There was no standardisation apart from what simply became trends, such as the common use of the shawm and sackbuts. To start to hear music that was organised and actually composed for an orchestra, people would have to wait until the baroque era, which is the period I’ll be looking at tomorrow.
Although orchestras in a similar fashion to what we know them as today(with strings and wind both represented with a constant structure) probably started to exist during the 17th century, there were actually developments of groups of players long before this. Musicians were employed by civil authorities going as far back as the 13th century. By the beginning of the 14th century, civil musicians were employed in many centres across Europe, from Florence in Italy to Ypres in Belgium. The tasks of these civil employed musicians were varied. They could be employed for playing in public during periods of celebration, or to join with the choirs of churches. The latter was probably the more often occurrence, since the pervasive nature of religion during this period can not be stressed strongly enough.
A set of three cornetts
Germany had employed groups similar to waits, called Stadtpfeifer, since the 13th century, but another step towards the modern orchestra was taken in the 16th century with the development of ‘Turmmusik’, meaning ‘Tower Music’. This consisted of consorts of various groups of instruments performing music at the top of the church or town-hall tower. They mostly played church chorales, but occasionally also played music specifically created for the consorts called ‘Turmsonaten’.
Instruments that were used by consorts from the 16th century onwards included shawms, lutes, drums, cornetts(a horn or wooden tube with finger holes but played like a trumpet), sackbuts(primitive trombones), recorders, fiddles(forerunners to violins), and trumpets. These instruments were often produced in different sizes to play in different ranges, in the way that recorders still are.
Obviously, this music was on a much smaller scale than even classical orchestras, a typical consort might consist of 8 to 10 people or less. There was no standardisation apart from what simply became trends, such as the common use of the shawm and sackbuts. To start to hear music that was organised and actually composed for an orchestra, people would have to wait until the baroque era, which is the period I’ll be looking at tomorrow.
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