Many cities have beautiful buildings that are not like the others and immediately attract the eye, these are theaters. This type of art is a combination of literature, beautiful music, vocals, choreography and other types of creativity. Of course, many who visited the theater wondered: why is the orchestra in a kind of recess? Why are the musicians located there, and not, for example, behind the performance or even at the side? The answer to this question will be given below.
Orchestra History
An orchestra is a group, a collective that consists of musicians and a conductor. The main task is to combine the sounds of musical instruments in order to achieve the perfect sound of a particular composition. The word "orchestra" comes from the ancient Greek "orchestra", which means a round platform located in front of the theater. Just on this site in the ancient state housed a choir or members of a comedy / tragedy.
You should not think that it was in Ancient Greece that an orchestra was born, since it is known that ensemble playing music still existed in Ancient Egypt. The orchestra pit itself, which is already used in the modern theater, appeared in the Renaissance, but then in the Middle Ages it was called the chapel. At the turn of the 16-17th century, an opera appeared, and then in Italy a modern image of the orchestra appeared. The popularity of orchestral groups increased and only Germany “held on” to the name “chapel” until the 20th century.
How was the orchestra located before?
A little over three hundred years ago, there was no modern orchestra pit. Nevertheless, it was believed that the musicians were still located in the pit. The fact is that the whole stall at that time was the very pit, often there was even an earthen floor. The audience of the theater in those days stood and could freely move right during the performance. The orchestra was sitting right next to the audience, fenced with a special partition or screen. And because of the partition, the music was not always well heard, since the dense fabric of the screen prevented the penetration of sounds. The conductor stood facing the stage and right in the center of the orchestra, most often on some high ground. He could also stand right near the edge of the stage, with his back to the orchestra band.
Interesting fact: in Germany (Dresden) is the oldest orchestra in the world. It is referred to as the Saxon State Chapel. This orchestra is 400 years old.
When did the orchestras become located in the pit and why?
The modern image of the orchestra pit appeared during the construction of the Bayreuth Theater. It was here that the famous composer and conductor Richard Wagner came up with a special pit to perform his works with the orchestra. This gave a striking effect, since the tiers of the orchestra pit go into the ground, the performers are not visible. Thus, it is impossible to establish exactly where the music flows from. This created a wonderful stage effect.
Also, the location of the orchestra pit, as a mandatory attribute of the theater, was affected by the increasing number of musicians in the group.The screen, which had previously been fenced by the orchestra, damped the sound, and this was also the cause of the pits. The partition was removed, and now all the musicians were between the audience and the stage. As the works became more complex and more tools were needed, the pit allowed to make room for them.
Thanks to the pit, the leader of the orchestra group can now see what is being done on stage and command the musicians. In modern ensembles, as a rule, there are a large number of musicians. During the performance of complex musical works, it is very important that the conductor can promptly and clearly give signals. The large space of the pit allows musicians to settle down at a sufficient distance from each other. Thus, the tools during use will not interfere with each other.
Interesting fact: The number of musicians in an orchestra can vary between 50-110 people. It all depends on the place of performance and the features of the work. The largest performance by the number of musicians took place in 1964 at the Yullevaal Stadium (Oslo). 20,000 artists took part in this event.
The orchestra is not always located directly in front of the stage. It largely depends on the design of the hall. Since many viewers prefer to watch the work of the conductor and the collective, during the performance they can be shown on a separate screen.
The orchestra and the conductor are located in the pit in front of the stage for several reasons. Firstly, this is how the team frees up space on the stage.Secondly, this arrangement has a positive effect on sound quality. At the same time, the conductor faces the orchestra on a small elevation and is well seen by both musicians and artists on stage. Also in the pit there is much more free space for all members of the orchestra. They are located at a short distance and do not interfere with each other.
