QUIZ: Can you put the musical instrument in its correct place in the orchestra?
7 September 2022, 16:31
A symphony orchestra is dedicated to creating beautiful classical music – but it has some pretty strict rules when it comes to its seating plan. Can you remember where each instrument sits?
The layout of an orchestra hasn’t always been so strict. About 100 years ago, a conductor called Leopold Stokowski was famously so obsessed with finding the perfect sound equilibrium, that he experimented (to the string players’ horror) by switching the brass and string sections around.
Read more: Why are orchestras arranged the way they are?
Today, most orchestras use the same format, with strings firmly at the front. But can you remember exactly where each group of instruments is generally accepted to sit?
(Our sincerest apologies to the piccolo players, saxophonists and harpists who were not included in this quiz)
