Klarinet Archive - Posting 000939.txt from 1997/02

From: "David C. Blumberg" <reedman@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: symphony vs. philharmonic
Date: Thu, 27 Feb 1997 08:48:59 -0500

Actually, I think (Think- not know) it is the size of the Orchestra that
determines whether it is an Orchestra, Symphony Orch, etc. , or a
Philharmonic (being larger then a Symphony).
Does perhaps the Chicago Symphony Orch. have a few less strings then the
New York Phil? I don't know- it's only a guess, and probably a bad one at
that.

At 01:25 AM 2/27/97 -0600, Neil Leupold wrote:
>Wed, 26 Feb 1997, Mrs. Starr Schaftel Wayne, Dr. John Wayne wrote:
>
>> Good evening (11:00 P.M. for me) fellow clarinetists.
>
>Gee, only 11:00? It's 1:00 for me!
>
>> Does anyone have a definitive answer to the question: Why are some
>> orchestras called 'symphony orchestra' and others 'philharmonic
>> orchestra'? I've been meaning to find out the answer to this for about
>> 20 years.
>
>If you look up the two words in a musical dictionary, you'll find that
>a symphony (in the Classical sense) is the central form of orchestral
>composition, dictated by conventions in movement tempo and progressions
>of relationships in tonality (not to be overly simplistic). Philharmonic
>is a Greek-based word meaning literally "music loving". From these two
>definitions it can be seen that the latter is a more generalized term.
>The reasoning behind choosing to call one's organization a philharmonic
>orchestra or a symphony orchestra is very likely an arbitrary one,
>since neither one fully indicates the purpose of the ensemble, nor
>are they really meant to. Since full-sized orchestras typically play
>works of the symphonic genre, many orchestras include the term
>"symphony" in their official title. The word "philharmonic", being
>somewhat more esoteric, has a loftier connotation, but has no
>specialized meaning in the context of an orchestra's title. It
>just sounds good, although some might make the argument that calling
>one's ensemble a "philharmonic orchestra" implies an understanding
>that their particular ensemble is not limited to works in the form
>of a symphony, but also performs works of different forms and genres
>(i.e.; operas, oratorios, chamber works, etc.). This is not a great
>distinction, of course, since "symphony orchestras" do the same
>thing. They simply choose the more traditional title, linked
>by history to the original primary function of an orchestra in the
>Classical period.
>
>Neil
>
>
David C. Blumberg
Principal Clarinet Riverside Symphonia
reedman@-----.com

   
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