A pit orchestra is a type of

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

that accompanies performers in

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

operas Opera is a form of Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a li ...

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

s, and other shows involving music. The term was also used for orchestras accompanying

silent movies A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

when more than a piano was used. In performances of

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

s and

s, the pit orchestra is typically similar in size to a

symphony orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

, though it may contain smaller string and brass sections, depending upon the piece. Such orchestras may vary in size from approximately 30 musicians (early Baroque and Classical opera) to as many as 90–100 musicians (Wagnerian opera). However, because of financial, spatial, and volume concerns, current

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

pit orchestras are considerably smaller (20–30 musicians at most, including a maximum of around ten string players).

Description

Typically, pit orchestras play in a lowered area in front of the stage called an

orchestra pit An orchestra pit is an area in a theatre (usually located in a lowered area in front of the stage) in which musicians perform. The orchestra plays mostly out of sight in the pit, rather than on the stage as for a concert, when providing music fo ...

, rather than being on the stage as for a concert. Inside the pit, the conductor stands facing towards the stage with their back towards the audience to coordinate the music with the vocals and actions of the

singers Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

rs and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

s, while the orchestra sits facing the conductor. The conductor may also sit at one or more keyboards and conduct as well as play, which often means the use of more head and facial gestures rather than hand gestures. This is often the case when a show only requires a small orchestra, or on national tours, where the instrumentation is often reduced from the original arrangement and one or two keyboard players substitute for several instruments. In some cases, theatres do not have a lowered pit; in this case, the pit orchestra may play in a room near the stage, watching the conductor's gestures using a video monitor, or from the floor level, between the first row of seats and the (higher) stage. Music parts for pit orchestra

woodwind Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Ree ...

players in musical theatre are normally divided into "reed books". Orchestration varies with each show based on the type of music that will be performed, such as jazz, classical, or blues. For example, a Reed 1 Book may contain music for piccolo, flute, alto saxophone, clarinet, and/or oboe. A musician handed a reed book would be expected to play each part. Because the musician plays so many different instruments, he or she is referred to as a "doubler" (even though the Reed Books may have up to eight instruments each). In general, individual reed books tend to fall into one of 3 categories: high reed, low reed, and double reed. High reed books may contain soprano, alto, or tenor saxophone; Bb, bass, or E-flat clarinet; and flute, alto flute or piccolo. Low reed books may contain bass or contrabass clarinet, baritone or bass saxophone, and bassoon. Double reed books may contain oboe and English horn, often in addition to flute, clarinet or saxophone. Due to the need for certain instruments to play solo or group parts throughout a musical, higher reed books often contain more doubled instruments throughout, whereas lower reed books contain fewer. For example, in

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

, clarinet and bass clarinet parts are present in each of the top four reed books, even though they rarely play simultaneously; rather, in certain sections of the music, a few of these parts must play simultaneously while instruments that are only present on a single part (such as alto saxophone, E-flat clarinet, oboe, English horn, and soprano saxophone) play separately. However, the Reed 5 book contains only bassoon parts, which are not present on any other books. Musicians who play in pit orchestras are not only required to play multiple instruments at times, but they must also be familiar with (and able to play in) multiple keys, styles, and tempos and make a switch instantaneously. The orchestration for a musical is written in a key best suited to range of the singer. Some keys are more difficult to play in than others because of the increased attention that greater amounts of sharps and flats require. Musicals also tend to have a number of styles which can range from a soulful ballad to a syncopated funk tune to a driving hard rock song. Many musicians have been trained to play in a certain style, such as classical music, but in order to play in pit orchestras, musicians must be able to play a range of different styles. Because musicals are live, many elements can change from show to show; pit orchestra musicians consequently should be able to play different tempos every night and even skip through their music to a new spot if an actor or singer makes an error.

Preparation

As with any orchestra or similar ensemble, a pit orchestra rehearses with the singers and dancers before the public performances commence. The rehearsals are led by the conductor/

music director A music director, musical director or director of music is a person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert ...

, who sets the tempos, starts the songs and musical interludes and indicates pauses and endings of sections. Although members of a pit orchestra are not required to demonstrate great stage presence, and they may work out of sight from much of the audience, they can generally be seen from the balcony seats and are thus required to adhere to standard rules of dress and appearance (e.g., formal clothes) Preparation by musicians in a pit orchestra consists of much more than attending rehearsals. Before the first rehearsal, ensemble musicians individually practice their parts, particularly difficult sections (rapid passages, very high or low-register sections) and exposed passages (e.g., instrumental solos). Performers often listen to a recording of the show to learn the tempos and playing styles, particularly if there are sections where the pit orchestra has complex parts which depend on the onstage actors or singers' parts (e.g., a big orchestra chord might have to coincide with the firing of a prop gun onstage).

Size

Pit orchestras can range from large orchestras to small rock combos (e.g., guitar/keyboards/bass/drums). While a pit orchestra usually plays in the orchestra pit, there are times when they are on stage in the background (this is usually for rock musicals). In some cases, one or more members of the pit orchestra may have to appear in costume on stage with their instrument and play music as part of a scene. Below are pit orchestra examples from four major theatrical license companies: Music Theatre International, Concord Theatricals, The Really Useful Group and Theatrical Rights Worldwide (excluding any conductor scores unless needed). These show the varying sizes of pit orchestras. Note that string parts are often written with the intent of having two musicians play a specific part, especially in older musicals. In the 2000s, due to budget constraints, some musicals have replaced instruments from musical arrangements with keyboards. For example, instead of hiring a small

string section The string section of an orchestra is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the violin family. It normally consists of first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses. It is the most numerous group in the standard orchestra. In ...

, a musical may hire one or two

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

players to perform the string parts or the horn parts. Some musicals have used prerecorded

backing track A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live m ...

music for shows, which has led to controversy. ;''

Bye Bye Birdie ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is a stage musical with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Lee Adams, based upon a book by Michael Stewart. Originally titled ''Let's Go Steady'', ''Bye Bye Birdie'' is set in 1958. The play's book was influenced by El ...

'' (orchestration according to Concord Theatricals, the company that holds the license) The

score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...

was orchestrated by Robert Ginzler. * 3

Violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

Books (6 players) * 2

Cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

Books (4 players) *

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

* Reed 1:

Alto sax The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E, smaller th ...

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

* Reed 2: Alto sax, clarinet * Reed 3:

Tenor sax The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while ...

, clarinet * Reed 4:

Clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

baritone sax The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxop ...

Horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s 1 & 2 * Trumpet 3 *

Trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

1 * Trombone 2 *

Piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

* 2 Percussion 1 & 2 (trap drum set and mallet instruments; one plays drums and the other plays mallet instruments) *

Guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

Banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

* Total players: 25 players, if a full

is to be used. Note that this orchestration is slightly different from the orchestration of the original Broadway production, which also called for a third trombone, a fifth reed, a harp, and did not have a dedicated piano player. ;''

Man of La Mancha ''Man of La Mancha'' is a 1965 musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, music by Mitch Leigh, and lyrics by Joe Darion. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay '' I, Don Quixote'', which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervan ...

'' (orchestration according to Concord Theatricals, the company that holds the license) * Reed I (Flute, Piccolo) * Reed II (Flute, Piccolo) * Reed III (Oboe) * Reed IV (Clarinet) * Reed V (Clarinet, Bassoon) * 2 Horns * 2 Trumpets * 1 Tenor Trombone * 1 Bass Trombone * 1 Timpani (2 pedal or 3 hand-tuned Drums) * Percussion I (Drum Set, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Floor Tom Tom, Suspended Cymbal, Triangle) * Percussion II (Tambourine, Castanets, Temple Blocks (or 2 Wood Blocks), Larger Floor Tom Tom, Suspended Cymbal, Finger Cymbals, Xylophone, Bells) * 2 Spanish Guitars (This part includes all Stage Guitar music.) * 1 String Bass * Total Players: 17 ;''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'' (orchestration according to Music Theatre International, the company that holds the license) The score was orchestrated by Albert Sendrey. * 9 Strings *: 2 Violin I *: 2 Violin II *: 2 Viola *: 2 Cello *: 1 Bass * 1 Harp * 1 Horn * 3 Trumpets * 1 Trombone * Reed I (Flute, Piccolo) * Reed II (Flute, Piccolo) * Reed III (English Horn, Oboe) * Reed IV (Clarinet) * Reed V (Clarinet) * Reed VI (Bassoon, Bass Clarinet) * 2 Percussion * 1 Keyboard (Piano, Celeste) * Total: 24 Players Note that the owner who holds the license to this show was originally Samuel French, Inc. until 2013 when Music Theatre International purchased the rights to it. ;''

'' The score was orchestrated by

Sid Ramin Sidney Nathan RaminGates, Anita ''The New York Times'', July 5, 2019. Accessed April 15, 2020. (January 22, 1919 – July 1, 2019) was an American orchestrator, arranger, and composer. Life Sidney Nathan Ramin (or Sidney Norton Ramin), born in ...

and

Irwin Kostal Irwin Kostal (October 1, 1911 – November 23, 1994) was an American musical arranger of films and an orchestrator of Broadway musicals. Biography Born in Chicago, Illinois, Kostal attended Harrison Technical High School, but opted not to at ...

following detailed instructions from composer

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

, who then wrote revisions on their manuscript (the original, heavily annotated by Ramin, Kostal and Bernstein himself is in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library at Columbia University). Ramin, Kostal, and Bernstein are billed as orchestrators for the show. * 5

woodwinds Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and re ...

*: Reed I (

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgians, Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in the key of E♭ ( ...

) *: Reed II (

E-flat clarinet The E-flat (E) clarinet is a member of the clarinet family, smaller than the more common B clarinet and pitched a perfect fourth higher. It is typically considered the sopranino or piccolo member of the clarinet family and is a transposing inst ...

, clarinet, bass clarinet) *: Reed III (

, flute,

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

English horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone (sometimes abbreviated to "bari sax") is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass saxophone, bass. It is the lowe ...

, clarinet, bass clarinet) *: Reed IV (piccolo, flute,

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a small, high-pitched member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented in the 1840s by Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax. Built in B♭ an octave above the tenor saxophone (or rarely, slightly small ...

bass saxophone The bass saxophone is the third lowest member of the saxophone family—larger and lower than the more common baritone saxophone. It was likely the first type of saxophone built by Adolphe Sax, as first observed by Berlioz in 1842. It is a trans ...

, clarinet, bass clarinet) *: Reed V (

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

) * 7

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

*: 2 horns in F *: 3

trumpets The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B o ...

in B (2nd doubling trumpet in D) *: 2

trombones The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the air column inside the instrument to ...

* 5

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a percussion mallet, beater including attached or enclosed beaters or Rattle (percussion beater), rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or ...

Timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

(1 player) *:

(4 players – traps,

vibraphone The vibraphone (also called the vibraharp) is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using Percussion mallet, mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone ...

, 4 pitched

drums The drum is a member of the percussion instrument, percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, it is a membranophones, membranophone. Drums consist of at least one Acoustic membrane, membrane, c ...

, guiro,

xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Each bar is an idiophone tuned to a pitch of a musical scale, whether pentatonic or heptatonic in the case of many African ...

, 3

bongos Bongos (Spanish language, Spanish: ''bongó'') are an Afro-Cubans, Afro-Cuban percussion instrument consisting of a pair of small open bottomed hand drums of different sizes. The pair consists of the larger ''hembra'' () and the smaller ''macho'' ...

, 3 cowbells,

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest ...

timbales Timbales () or pailas are shallow single-headed drums with metal casing. They are shallower than single-headed tom-toms and usually tuned much higher, especially for their size.Orovio, Helio 1981. ''Diccionario de la música cubana: biográfic ...

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

police whistle A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small sl ...

, gourd, 2 suspended cymbals,

castanets Castanets, also known as ''clackers'' or ''palillos'', are a percussion instrument ( idiophonic), used in Spanish, Calé, Moorish, Ottoman, Greek, Italian, Mexican, Sephardic, Portuguese, Filipino, Brazilian, and Swiss music. In ancient ...

maracas A maraca ( , , ), sometimes called shaker or chac-chac, is a rattle which appears in many genres of Caribbean and Latin music. It is shaken by a handle and usually played as part of a pair. Maracas, also known as tamaracas, were rattles of d ...

finger cymbals Zills, zils, or sagat, also known as finger cymbals, are small metallic cymbals used in belly dance, belly dancing and similar performances. They are similar to Tibetan tingsha bells. In Western music, several pairs can be set in a frame to make ...

tambourines The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...

, small maracas,

glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( ; or , : bells and : play) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a Musical keyboard, keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the v ...

, woodblock,

claves Claves (; ) are a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of short, wooden sticks about 20–25 centimeters (8–10 inches) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter. Although traditionally made of wood (typically rosewood, ebony ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

temple blocks Temple blocks are a type of percussion instrument consisting of a set of woodblocks. It is descended from the muyu or wooden bell, an instrument originating from eastern Asia, where it is commonly used in religious ceremonies. Description It ...

, chimes,

tam-tam A gongFrom Indonesian and ; ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ; ; ; ; is a percussion instrument originating from Southeast Asia, and used widely in Southeast Asian and East Asian musical traditions. Gongs are made of metal and are circular and fl ...

ratchet Ratchet may refer to: Devices * Ratchet (device), a mechanical device that allows movement in only one direction * Ratchet effect in sociology and economics * Ratchet, metonymic name for a socket wrench incorporating a ratcheting device * Ratc ...

slide whistle A slide whistle (variously known as a swanee or swannee whistle, lotus flute, piston flute, or jazz flute) is a wind instrument consisting of a fipple like a recorder's and a tube with a piston in it. Thus it has an air reed like some woodwi ...

) * 1 keyboard (

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

celesta The celesta () or celeste (), also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five-octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music ...

) * 1 guitar (

electric Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

) *12 strings *: 7

violins The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino pic ...

*: 4 celli *: 1

contrabass Contrabass (from ) refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch—generally one octave below bass register instruments. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass (which is the bass instrument in the orchestral string family ...

* Total: 31 players ;'' Phantom Of The Opera'' (orchestration according to The

Really Useful Group The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. ...

, the company that holds the license) * Woodwind 1 (

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; ) is a smaller version of the western concert flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" or piccolo flute, the modern piccolo has the same type of fingerings as the ...

Flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

) * Woodwind 2 (

) * Woodwind 3 (

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

Cor anglais The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

) * Woodwind 4 (

/ B♭ Clarinet/

Bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

) * Woodwind 5 (

Bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

) * 3

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most o ...

s * 2

s *

* Percussionist * 2 Keyboards *

Harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

s (7 recommended) *

Viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

s (2 recommended) *

(2 recommended) * double bass, Contrabass * Total: 27 Players ;''Jesus Christ Superstar'' (orchestration according to Concord Theatricals, the company that holds the license) * Woodwind (B♭ Clarinet/Flute/Tenor sax) * Horn * Trumpet * Keyboard 1 * Keyboard 2 * Keyboard 3 * Percussion * Guitar 1 * Guitar 2 * Bass (Electric) * Drums * Total: 11 players (though other orchestrations are available, notably the symphonic version and the 5 piece rock combo version) ;''On the Town (musical), On The Town'' (orchestration according to Concord Theatricals, the company that holds the license) * 1 Flute * 1 Oboe * 3 Clarinets 1,2&3 * 2 Horns 1&2 * 3 Trumpets 1,2&3 * 3 Trombones 1,2&3 * 1 Piano * 2 Percussion 1&2 * 3 Violin * 1 Viola * 1 Cello * 1 Bass * Total: 22 Players ;''Guys and Dolls'' (orchestration according to Music Theatre International, the company that holds the license) * 6 Strings *: 2 Violin A-C *: 2 Violin B-D *: 1 Cello *: 1 Bass * Reed I (Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo) * Reed II (Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Flute) * Reed III (Clarinet, English Horn, Oboe, Tenor Saxophone) * Reed IV (Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone) * Reed V (Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet) * 3 Trumpets * 1 Horn * 1 Trombone * 1 Percussion * 1 Piano/Celesta * Total: 17 Players ;''Godspell'' (original orchestration according to Music Theatre International, the company that holds the license) * Keyboard/conductor * Bass * Drums * 2 Guitars * 1 Guitarist that can also play an additional Keyboard, if necessary * Total players: 4 players ;''All Shook Up (musical), All Shook Up'' (orchestration according to Theatrical Rights Worldwide, the company that holds the license) * Piano/conductor * Reed 1 (Flute, alto sax) * Reed 2 (Clarinet, tenor sax) * Reed 3 (Baritone sax, bass clarinet) * Trumpet 1 * Trumpet 2 * Trombone * Organ (usually played on a keyboard) * Guitar 1 * Guitar 2 * Bass * Drums * Total players: 12 players ;''1776 (musical), 1776'' (orchestration according to Music Theatre International, the company that holds the license) The score was orchestrated by Eddie Sauter. * 6 Strings *: 2 Violins *: 2 Violas *: 1 Cello *: 1 Bass * Reed I (Clarinet, Flute, Piccolo) * Reed II (Clarinet, Flute) * Reed III (Clarinet, Oboe, English Horn) * Reed IV (Bassoon) * 3 Trombones * 2 Trumpets * 2 Horns * 1 Keyboard (Harpsichord, Organ) * 1 Harp * 2 Percussion * Total: 21 Players ;''A New Brain'' (orchestration according to Concord Theatricals, the company that holds the license) * Piano/conductor * Synthesizer * Drums/percussion * Reed (Alto Saxophone, Clarinet, Oboe, English Horn, Piccolo, Soprano Saxophone, Flute) * Horn * Cello * Bass * Total: 7 players

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{{Orchestra Theatrical occupations Types of musical groups Orchestras, * Occupations in music Accompaniment

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