Music. Learn, enjoy, appreciate.

The sound of a great symphony orchestra in full flight is one of the most thrilling sounds in all of western classical music. Your enjoyment of classical music can be enriched by deepening your knowledge and of the instruments of the orchestra.

This course will guide you through an exploration of each of the instruments of the orchestra, discovering their characteristics and personality, and the sounds they can achieve. We will also explore the music written for the orchestra through history, by examining some of the greatest composers and compositions of all time. No prior musical knowledge is necessary.  

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• list the main families of instruments in the orchestra
• list some specific examples orchestral instruments
• describe some of the features of the development of the orchestra.

Content

Introduction to the orchestra

• The glory of the symphony orchestra
• Symphony orchestra versus Philharmonic orchestra
• The families of orchestral instruments
• The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Benjamin Britten
• Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite

The string section

• Violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp
• Interlude: The Baroque orchestra
• The Four Seasons, by Vivaldi

The woodwind section

• Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon
• Interlude: The birth of the