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ABaroque orchestra is an ensemble for mixed instruments that existed during theBaroque era of WesternClassical music, commonly identified as 1600–1750.[1] Baroque orchestras are typically much smaller, in terms of the number of performers, than theirRomantic-era counterparts. Baroque orchestras originated inFrance whereJean-Baptiste Lully added the newly re-designedhautbois (oboe) andtransverse flutes to his orchestra,Les Vingt-quatre Violons du Roi ("The Twenty-Four Violins of the King"). As well as violins and woodwinds, baroque orchestras often containedbasso continuo instruments such as thetheorbo, thelute, theharpsichord and thepipe organ.
In the Baroque period, the size of an orchestra was not standardised. There were large differences in size, instrumentation and playing styles—and therefore in orchestral soundscapes and palettes—between the various European regions. The 'Baroque orchestra' ranged from smaller orchestras (or ensembles) with one player per part, to larger scale orchestras with many players per part. Examples of the smaller variety were Bach's orchestras, for example in Koethen where he had access to an ensemble of up to 18 players. Examples of large scale Baroque orchestras would include Corelli's orchestra in Rome which ranged between 35 and 80 players for day-to-day performances, being enlarged to 150 players for special occasions.[2]
The term Baroque orchestra is commonly used today to refer to chamber orchestras givinghistorically informed performances of baroque or classical music on periodBaroque instruments or replica instruments.
The period-instrument revival of the 1970s inspired the development of the first period-instrument baroque orchestras, led byNikolaus Harnoncourt, Gustav Leonhardt, Frans Bruggen and Terrence Holford.
Since the 1970s many baroque orchestras have been formed across Europe, as well as some in North America. Baroque orchestras active in the 2010s include:
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