The marimba has an interesting history in which, oddly enough, Pennsylvania plays a major role. It is one of the oldest of musical instruments. There are records that the marimba existed in a much ...

Composers have been writing music for the group of instruments we call an orchestra for the last four centuries. Endlessly adaptable and always evolving, an orchestra can be made up of 20 players or ...

Use the tabs below to find out about each section of the orchestra, watch video clips, and read interviews with musicians. What is a percussion instrument? Well, in the simplest terms it's something ...

"A primer ... demonstrating the range and special capabilities of each instrument of the orchestra, with examples drawn from the symphonic repertory." Performed by ...

Orchestras began tuning to the oboe, in part, because its sound was more penetrating in a performance setting than gut strings. There were also fewer oboes than violins, and in the earliest orchestras ...