Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra

THE INSTRUMENTS OF AN ORCHESTRA

Since the early years of the 20th century the orchestra has been arranged with the first and second violins to the left of the conductor. The violas, in turn, are seated next to them. Traditionally, the cellos are situated to the conductor’s right, with double basses behind them. Although the MPO adheres to this pattern, it's not necessarily follwed by all orchestras or conductors. Indeed, other seating plans are also adopted depending on the repertoire and the composer’s directions

As the name implies, the four members of this family comprise a hollow tube made of metal (usually brass). All these instruments require the players to make a buzzing noise with their lips into a small mouthpiece which then vibrates along the length of the tube. The tubes are narrow at the mouthpiece end and open out to a larger bell out of which the amplified sound emerges.

“The tuba is certainly the most intestinal of instruments, the very lower bowel of music” (Peter de Vries b.1910)

Producing the deepest sound of all the Brass instruments, tubas come in various sizes but they always sit on the player’s knee and have their bells pointing up into the air. The patent for the modern tuba was granted in Berlin in 1835, but its first actual use in an orchestra came five years earlier, when Berlioz used one in his famous Symphonie Fantastique.