symphony orchestra
8
3.3
- noun
- /ˈsɪmfəni ɔrˈkɛstrə/
:
orquesta sinfónica
- The symphony orchestra will perform Beethoven's Ninth Symphony this weekend.
- the symphony orchestra's repertoire
- local symphony orchestra
- major symphony orchestra
And it was stuff like I would like to conduct a Symphony Orchestra and who who cares?
- And it was stuff like I would like to conduct a Symphony Orchestra and who who cares?
- Growing up, I never saw a woman in a Symphony Orchestra.
- He's with the NBC Symphony, Symphony Orchestra under Arturo Toscanini, which was a very big thing.
Examples
-
From a cassette player on a homemade wooden table comes the music of a symphony orchestra playing Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.
Fiction book (2000) -
Yet, the level of virtuosity that some of these island groups achieve rivals that of symphony orchestras.
Academic text (1995) -
In all three cases, music has been written to reach an audience that has never heard a symphony orchestra before.
Academic text (1996) -
I think this is the first rock song with a full symphony orchestra.
Blog text (11) -
I have helped to support a symphony orchestra.
Academic text (1996) -
The blog makes the point that the days of the symphony orchestra are over.
Blog text (10) -
The New York Philharmonic is by far the oldest symphony orchestra in America and is one of the oldest in the world.
Academic text (1998) -
I went to hear string quartets, and I went to hear symphony orchestras.
Academic text (1998) -
Such exemplars of the symphony orchestra's repertoire have been absolutely critical to its sustained existence.
Academic text (2010) -
Through artful amplification, the song of the guitar can now dearly be heard in consort with a symphony orchestra.
Academic text (1998)
Synonyms
184
3.4
A large group of musicians who play instruments together, like violins and trumpets
89
4.5
A large group of musicians who play together, with violins, flutes, trumpets, and drums
33
8.0
A large orchestra that plays symphonies and other classical music
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
Both constituent words denote closely related musical ensembles and the compound simply identifies an orchestra that performs symphonies; the overall meaning is directly derivable from 'symphony' + 'orchestra'. This compositional pattern is common and transparent across many languages, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Symphony orchestra joins symphony, meaning a 'large musical piece', and orchestra, meaning a 'group of instruments'. Picture many players — strings, woodwinds, brass and drums — playing together to tell a long musical story, so symphony orchestra means the large group that performs these pieces.