Unit 40: Working and Developing as a Musical Ensemble

Types of Musical Ensembles

BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma in Music (Performing)

Types of Musical EnsemblesOrchestra

Brass BandsWind Bands

Chamber EnsemblesRock/Pop Groups

Jazz GroupsFolk BandsGamelan

Steel Pan BandsVocal Groups

Early Music Groups

OrchestrasThe Orchestra has been around since the 1600’s...Baroque Orchestra: 1600-1750Classical Orchestra: 1750-1830Romantic Orchestra: 1830-1910

Today an Orchestra would have over 90 players

The principal roles within an Orchestra would be the Conductor and the Leader, but in reality every member of the Orchestra has a pivotal roleto play

Monteverdi

Mozart

Wagner

Orchestra Plan

Conductor

1st Violins

2nd Violins

Cellos

Double Basses

Violas

Flutes

Oboes

Clarinets

Bassoons

Horns Trumpets

Tuba / Trombones

Percussion

Harp

Brass BandsBrass bands have been around since the 1830’s, and have

always been linked with the workforceFamously associated with the mining industry, the film Brassed

Off shows the struggle of Grimethorpe Colliery Band’s struggle to keep their pit open

Brass bands have Cornets, a Flugelhorn, Euphoniums, Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tubas, Tenor Horns, Baritones, and Percussion

Brass Band contests take place throughout the country several times a year. The most famous are the Saddleworth Brass Band Contest, and the British National Brass Band Contest held at the Royal Albert Hall

Wind BandsAn orchestra without the strings! Flutes, Piccolo, Oboes, Clarinets, Bass Clarinet, Alto/Tenor/Baritone Saxophone, Bassoon, Trumpet, Cornets, Horns, Baritones, Trombones, Tubas, and PercussionAssociated with Military Bands, which have been

around in some form from the 11th century CrusadesFamous composers of Wind Band music are the

Australian Percy Grainger, and the English Ralph Vaughan Williams

Wind Bands also include a lot of film and television music in their repertoire

Chamber EnsemblesThe term originally meant intimate music for a small

group of players usually performed within the home, and has been around since the Middle Ages

Originally just for string instruments, but during the 18th century wind instruments were also includedThe String quartet was made popular by Haydn in the 1750’s . Music for a String quartet usually shares the tune between all players, thus making an equal role

for allChamber orchestras became popular during the two

World Wars, for the simple reason that they were cheaper to hire or run

Rock GroupsRock music evolved from the blues music brought

to north America from the Deep South by African-Americans after World War II

Leo Fender was the first to mass-produce the electric guitar in 1948

African-American music evolved from motown in the 1960’s to disco and rap in the 1990’s

Elvis Presley became one of the most popular rock artists of the 20th century, also becoming one of the first artists to be a teenage heartthrob

Pop GroupsPop music began to evolve in the 1960’s, with groups such as

The Beatles and the Rolling StonesThe Eurovision song contest originally was a place for new

Pop acts to enter the profession, bringing Swedish group ABBA to the fore in 1974Pop and Rock are similar in their instrumentation. A group would usually consist of both electric and bass guitars, drums, keyboard, and vocalist(s)The main difference between Pop and Rock is the terms

themselves. Popular music is ever changing, while Rock is a separate genre evolving throughout the 20th century

Pop could be applied to any genre of the day. Therefore, the Pop musicians of the Baroque era would be composers such as Bach!

Jazz GroupsAn American genre originating in cities such as New

Orleans and ChicagoIt evolved from Dixieland jazz and ragtime, with

composers such as Scott Joplin, famous for his piano piece The Entertainer

Trumpet player Louis Armstrong was one of the first to create jazz as we recognise it, and started the tradition of improvised solos

Jazz could include many combinations of instruments including Trumpets, Saxophones, Clarinets, Double Bass, Drums and Piano

More modern jazz included artists such as Miles Davies, Benny Goodman, and Gordon Goodwin

Folk GroupsFolk music is any music specific to a certain place. This

does not just mean music specific to each country, but also music specific to each county, village, etc.

Work songs are one form of folk music, for example, songs from the work plantations during the slave trade era in America

Ballads, songs that told a story, either fictional legends or news of the day. Sometimes these were unaccompanied, sometimes with an instrumental accompaniment

Music for dancing is still popular, used at barn dances and ceilidhs

Today, musicians such as Bob Dylan are considered to be folk artists

GamelanGamelan music originated in South AsiaIt always consists of a series of different

gongs, sometimes with drums, flutes, stringed instruments, and occasionally vocalists

In 1889, Paris hosted an Exhibition of music from all over the world. Composers were suddenly exposed to new styles of music

Composers such as Debussy began to bring Gamelan into their own music, creating a whole new genre of exoticism.

Steel Pan BandsOriginally from Trinidad, they became

popular in the 1930’s and 40’sSteel pans, or drums were made from the top

half of oil drums. The larger the half used, the deeper the sound of the drum

They were often used in carnival or Samba bands

These days, Steel Pan bands often use Western instruments such as guitars or drum kits alongside the steel drums

Vocal GroupsOne of the earliest forms of vocal groups were the singers of Madrigals in the 15th century. Women were forbidden to sing in church, so the high parts were sung by young boysOpera came to the fore in the 15oo’s, leading both men and women to extend their vocal range as composers experimented

with new musical techniquesChoirs have existed since Medieval times, mainly for church

services. The earliest Mass setting is attributed to Guillaume de Machaut, a composer of the 1300’s

Oratorios by composers such as Handel in the 18th century, sung by both men and women, led to the formation of choral societies

Today, singing has been made popular through musical theatre composers such as Lloyd-Webber and Sondheim

Early Music GroupsThe Gregorian chant, named after Pope Gregory I, is one of the earliest known forms of music. These chants were often sung in churches and monasteries to call people to worship, or to signal certain points in the MassSecular music was also used, often on long journeys as a means of passing the time, or as work songsVery few people sung the music of other people; much of

what they performed were their own compositionsThe time of the first peripatetic musicians! The travelling

musicians of noble birth were Troubadours, while the professional entertainers of low birth were Minstrels