orchestra and orchestration: Orchestras of Note

Among the world's many fine orchestras the following European ensembles have particular historic importance: the Leipzig Gewandhaus-Konzerte, not called by that name until later, began in 1743; the Philharmonic Society, London, was established in 1813; the Société des Concerts du Conservatoire, Paris, began in 1828; the Wiener Philharmonische Konzerte, Vienna, began in 1842; the Berlin Philharmonisches Orchester was established in 1882.

Among the oldest American orchestras still in existence are the New York Philharmonic, the St. Louis Symphony (1880), the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1881), the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1891), the Cincinnati Symphony (1895), and the Philadelphia Orchestra (1900).

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

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Music: Theory, Forms, and Instruments