Definitions for Orchestra
ˈɔr kə strə, -kɛs trəor·ches·tra

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.0 / 2 votes

1. orchestranoun

   a musical organization consisting of a group of instrumentalists including string players

2. orchestranoun

   seating on the main floor in a theater

GCIDERate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Orchestranoun

   The space in the main floor of a theater in which the audience sits; also, the forward spectator section of the main floor, in distinction from the parterre, which is the rear section of the main floor.

2. Orchestranoun

   The space in a theater between the stage and the audience; -- originally appropriated by the Greeks to the chorus and its evolutions, afterward by the Romans to persons of distinction, and by the moderns to a band of instrumental musicians. Now commonly called orchestra pit, to distinguish it from the section of the main floor occupied by spectators.

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.5 / 6 votes

1. orchestranoun

   A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.

2. orchestranoun

   A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.

3. orchestranoun

   The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Orchestra

   An orchestra (; Italian: [orˈkɛstra]) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Orchestra

   An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century. A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size orchestra may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these modifiers do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city. A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played and the size of the venue. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty musicians; some are much smaller than that. Orchestras can also be found in schools. The term concert orchestra may sometimes be used —no distinction is made on size of orchestra by use of this term, although their use is generally distinguished as for live concert. As such they are commonly chamber orchestras.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Orchestra

   or′kes-tra, n. in the Greek theatre, the place where the chorus danced: now the part of a theatre or concert-room in which the musicians are placed: the performers in an orchestra.—ns. Orchē′sis, the art of dancing or rhythmical movement of the body; Orchesog′raphy, the theory of dancing.—adjs. Or′chestral, Orches′tric, of or pertaining to an orchestra: performed in an orchestra.—v.t. Or′chestrāte, to arrange for an orchestra.—ns. Orchestrā′tion, the arrangement of music for an orchestra: instrumentation; Orches′trion, a musical instrument of the barrel-organ kind, designed to imitate an orchestra. [L.,—Gr. orchēstra—orchesthai, to dance.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. orchestra

   A group of musicians and singers united with a conductor to create music and song.

   The orchestra were amazing, the joy and light from the smile and hearts was a sight for joyful eyes.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on March 17, 2020  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. orchestra

   Song lyrics by orchestra -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by orchestra on the Lyrics.com website.

Etymology and OriginsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Orchestra

   A Greek term applied to the place in the theatre allotted to the chorus of the dancers. Among the moderns it expresses the place assigned to the instrumentalists.

Matched Categories

1. • Musical Organization
   • Seating

British National Corpus

1. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Orchestra' in Nouns Frequency: #2087

Anagrams for Orchestra »

1. carthorse

How to pronounce Orchestra?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

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   Fred

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   Tessa

   South African

How to say Orchestra in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Orchestra in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Orchestra in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8

Examples of Orchestra in a Sentence

1. Barbara Beninato:

   It’s just a really neat town. We’re lucky that the arts community — both visual, theater and our orchestra — is very vibrant and well-supported. she said, ‘I’m never going to live in Rome.’ Guess where she lives?

2. H. E. Luccock:

   No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.

3. Mary McColl:

   We are living real-life stories in real time, in cramped quarters, sometimes on small stages, sometimes with lots of people and figuring how to do that work in the age of COVID-19 is really the challenge that we are up against, when we cry, there are tears, sometimes our noses run. Sometimes when we sing or are yelling, we spit and that lands on other actors, or it might land on the orchestra pit. And we are doing that eight times a week.

4. Daniel Ayala:

   I tell my students I don't ask and I don't care where you come from, our identity is through our orchestra. It's what gives us a sense of belonging. It's the music and playing together in harmony that's the most important thing.

5. Ahmad Naser Sarmast:

   The formation of the orchestra is an achievement in itself, i WILL NEVER ACCEPT DEFEAT.

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