The modern symphony orchestra is a large music ensemble that typically has about 100 musicians. Orchestras are led by conductors who control the beat of the music and make sure performances are artistically and technically solid. Conductors have become increasingly visible in the modern era and some exhibit showmanship during orchestra performances. Orchestras are made up of four sections of different types of instruments. String sections include violins, violas, cellos and basses. Woodwind sections may include instruments such as flutes and clarinets. Brass sections have horns and trumpets, while percussion sections may include drums, xylophones and triangles.
Chamber music groups are small ensembles that are not led by conductors or music directors. The size of these groups ranges from two players to eight or more, but these groups are never as large as orchestras. Chamber music groups are often labeled based on the number of players in the group. Quartets have four musicians, quintets have five and octets have eight musicians. When writing music for chamber groups, composers intended musicians to perform in smaller rooms such as palace chambers or bedrooms.
Orchestras typically perform classical music that was written as early as the 17th century. Some orchestras also perform popular music or film music. These groups include many instrumentalists, so many musicians will play the same parts instead of their own individual parts. Musicians usually perform orchestral music in large concert halls. These halls have carefully designed acoustics that ensure that the orchestra sounds balanced. Most famous classical composers wrote symphonies for orchestras, but some of the most famous symphonies were written by Ludwig Van Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonin Dvorak.
Chamber music groups usually perform classical music, although they can also perform popular or folk music on classical instruments. These groups perform music in various locations, such as in concert halls, at weddings or even at outdoor performances. Composers wrote individual parts for each member of a chamber music group, so parts are not doubled. Some of the most famous chamber music composers are Ludwig Van Beethoven, Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.