The History of European Orchestral Music

The history of the orchestra in Europe is strongly associated with various institutions, such as universities, the church, and the royal courts.

Western orchestral tradition traces its roots to 17^th century Italy where Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) composed music to his first opera, L’Orfeo (1607). The music was intended to be performed by an ensemble of various instruments, including strings, recorders, a sackbut, as well as a harpsichord, an organ, a theorbo, and a harp serving as the so-called continuo instruments. In the late 17^th century, Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-1687) composed ballet music and operas in the court of King Louis XIV. The strings were at the center of Lully’s orchestras, but they did also include woodwinds and, on occasion, brass instruments.

In 18^th century Germany, composers of the so-called Mannheim School laid the foundation for the modern symphony orchestra, i.e., an orchestra divided into four sections: the woodwinds, the brass, the strings, and the percussion. At around the same time, symphony diverged into its own genre of composition, distinct from opera. The Mannheim School had a direct impact on how composers such as Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) and W. A. Mozart (1757-1791) made use of orchestras. The orchestra staple clarinet became established around this time, while old mainstays, like the harpsichord, the lute, and the theorbo slowly phased out of compositions.

In the 1800s, symphony orchestras continued increasing in size, with composers crafting ever new musical landscapes with new, sometimes even exotic, instruments. By the turn of the 20^th century, orchestras commonly featured close to 100 musicians and employed a wide variety of instruments. However, this trend in size started to reverse in the 1920s, with many composers opting for smaller chamber orchestra-like ensembles.