String orchestra

A string orchestra is an orchestra consisting solely of a string section made up of the bowed strings used in Western Classical music. The instruments of such an orchestra are most often the following: the violin, which is divided into first and second violin players (each usually playing different parts), the viola, the cello, and usually, but not always, the double bass.

String orchestras can be of chamber orchestra size ranging from between 12 (4 first violins, 3 second violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos and 1 bass = 12) and 21 musicians (6 first violins, 5 second violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos and 2 double basses= 21) sometimes performing without a conductor. It could also consist of the entire string section of a large symphony orchestra which could have 60 musicians (16 first violins, 14 second violins, 12 violas, 10 cellos and 8 double basses = 60; Gurre-Lieder calls for 84: 20.20.16.16.12).^[1]

: "Old Havana," "A la antigua," "Terra Ignota" (Unknown Land), "Clave," for strings and percussion, "El Retrato de la Paloma" (The Portrait of the Dove)-Latin GRAMMY nominated composition (2015), Symphony No. 2 for strings "Los Dioses del Olimpo" (The Olympian Gods), "Al Partir" (On Leaving) dedicated to Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, "Negro Bembón, dedicated to Nicolás Guillén.

Yalil Guerra

Giovanni Albini: Una teoria della prossimità (2006)

: Symphony for Open Strings

Louis Andriessen

Lera Auerbach

Maciej Bałenkowski

: Celtic Symphony for string orchestra and six harps

Granville Bantock

: Adagio for Strings

Samuel Barber

Béla Bartók

: Icarian Rhapsody (1999)

Mason Bates

: Sinfonietta (2000)

Jeremy Beck

: Adagio Symphonique (2002)

Alan Belkin

: Notturno (1995)

Luciano Berio

: Serenade for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion after Plato's "Symposium"

Leonard Bernstein

: The Hythe (2012)

Judith Bingham

: Adagietto, L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1 (1872)

Georges Bizet

: Concerto Grosso No. 2

Ernest Bloch

Nimrod Borenstein

: Livre pour cordes

Pierre Boulez

: Lament (1915)

Frank Bridge

: Simple Symphony

Benjamin Britten

Stephen Brown

: Twenty-Three (for violins, violas, and cellos) Additionally, many of Cage's indeterminate scores could be arranged for string orchestra.

John Cage

: Symphony No. 5

Carlos Chávez

: The Miraculous Violin

Nigel Clarke

Anna Clyne

Within Her Arms

: Gregorian Chant for String Orchestra (1936)

Paul Creston

: Residuum

Tansy Davies

: Rounds for String Orchestra (1944)

David Diamond

: Concerto Grosso (2002–2003)

Avner Dorman

: Serenade for String Orchestra in E major, Op.22

Antonín Dvořák

Edward Elgar

Introduction and Allegro for Strings

Zoran Erić: Cartoon for Strings

: Serious Song: A Lament for String Orchestra (1955)

Irving Fine

: Romance, Op. 11 (1928)

Gerald Finzi

: Suite in E major for String Orchestra, Op. 63 (1909)

Arthur Foote

: Concerto per corde, Op. 33 (originally written for string quartet then arranged for string orchestra)

Alberto Ginastera

: film score for The Hours (large string orchestra plus piano soloist)

Philip Glass

: Three Pieces in Old Style (1963)

Henryk Gorecki

: Holberg Suite (originally written for piano then arranged for string orchestra)

Edvard Grieg

: Elegy for Strings (1948)

Stefans Grové

: Hymn to the Vanished (2001)

Mark Gustavson

: Symphony No. 4

Karl Amadeus Hartmann

: Serenade for Strings

Victor Herbert

: String Symphonies

Alfred Hill

Gustav Holst

St Paul's Suite

: Symphony No. 2

Arthur Honegger

: Symphony No. 31 (1976–77)

Alan Hovhaness

: Serenata for Strings

Ketil Hvoslef

: The Call of the Mountains (arranged by Jonathan Dore from the String Quartet No. 2)

Charles Ives

: Palladio (1996)

Karl Jenkins

David Johnstone: more than 20 published works for string orchestra

: Five Pieces for String Orchestra, op.16

Paul Juon

: Serenade for Strings in G minor

Vasily Kalinnikov

: Serenade for Strings Op. 2 (1897)

Mieczyslaw Karlowicz

: Serenade for Strings

Nigel Keay

: Suite for String Orchestra (1937)

Uuno Klami

Sophie Lacaze

Kenneth Leighton

: Symphony for Double String Orchestra (1952–53)

Elizabeth Maconchy

: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5.

Gustav Mahler

: Symphony No. 6 "Degli Archi" (1947)

Gian Francesco Malipiero

: Sanguis Venenatus (Tainted Blood) Elegy for Strings (2009)[1]

Andrew March

: Double Concerto for Two String Orchestras, Piano, and Timpani

Bohuslav Martinů

: Life Studies

Nicholas Maw

Felix Mendelssohn

13 String Symphonies

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Three Concertos for Piano and Strings

: Between Two Coasts

Lior Navok

: Formants (1967), for 17 solo strings

Ștefan Niculescu

Robert Paterson

: Symphony No. 5

Vincent Persichetti

Allan Pettersson

: Ancient Airs and Dances, Suite No. 3 (1932)

Ottorino Respighi

: Portals

Carl Ruggles

: Aspects of the Funeral March of Hintriki Peltoniemi (originally written for string quartet then arranged for string orchestra)

Aulis Sallinen

: Stockholm Diary (2004)

Esa-Pekka Salonen

: Verklärte Nacht or Transfigured Night (1899) (originally written for string sextet then arranged for string orchestra)

Arnold Schoenberg

Franz Schreker

: Symphony No. 5

William Schuman

: Andante Festivo for strings and timpani

Jean Sibelius

Symphony for String Orchestra

Richard St. Clair

: Metamorphosen for 23 solo strings

Richard Strauss

Igor Stravinsky

Concerto in D

: Serenade for Strings, op. 6 (1892)

Josef Suk

William Susman

Tōru Takemitsu

: Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Dimitri Tchesnokov: Réminiscence d'après la symphonie pour cordes

Michael Tippett

Robin Toan: dans la nuit (2006)

: "Suite for Strings" (1951)

Joan Trimble

Peteris Vasks

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

: Bachianas Brasileiras No.9

Heitor Villa-Lobos

: Smith's Alchemy

Carl Vine

: Zipangu (1980)

Claude Vivier

: Treptow for String Orchestra (2005)

Julian Wagstaff

: Lyric for Strings (1946)

George Walker

: Sonata for Strings

William Walton

: Concertino for String Orchestra (originally written for string quartet then arranged for string orchestra)

Robert Ward

Graham Waterhouse

Celtic Voices and Hale Bopp

Anthony Watson: Prelude and Allegro for Strings (1960)

Malcolm Williamson

: Serenade for Strings

Dag Wirén

John Woolrich

Ulysses Awakes

: Grand Bamboula

Charles Wuorinen

: Pithoprakta for 46 strings, 2 trombones, wood block and xylophone.

Iannis Xenakis

: Threnody to Toki for Piano and String Orchestra (1980)

Takashi Yoshimatsu

Đuro Živković

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich

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