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{{short description|Section of a symphony orchestra composed of string instruments}}

{{original research|date=December 2017}}

[[File:Chicago Symphony Orchestra 2005.jpg|thumb|right|240pxupright=1.4|The [[Chicago Symphony Orchestra]] performing with a jazz group. The string sections are at the front of the orchestra, arrayed in a semicircle around the [[conducting|conductor's]] podium.]]

The '''string section''' of an [[orchestra]] is composed of bowed instruments belonging to the [[violin family]]. It normally consists of first and second [[violin]]s, [[viola]]s, [[cello]]s, and [[double bassesbass]]es. It is the most numerous group in the standard [[orchestra]]. In discussions of the [[Orchestration|instrumentation]] of a musical work, the phrase "the strings" or "and strings" is used to indicate a string section as just defined. An orchestra consisting solely of a string section is called a [[string orchestra]]. Smaller string sections are sometimes used in jazz, pop, and rock music and in the [[pit orchestra]]s of [[musical theatre]].

==Seating arrangement==

[[File:Orchestra sections sven labels.pngsvg|thumb|right|240pxupright=1.4|One possible seating arrangement for an orchestra. First violins are labelled "Vln I"; second violins are "Vln II"; violas are "Vla"; and double basses (in German "''Kontrabässe''") are "Kb".]]

The most common seating arrangement in the 2000s21st Century is with first violins, second violins, violas, and cello sections arrayed clockwise around the [[Conductor (music)|conductor]], with basses behind the cellos on the right.<ref>''[[Stanley Sadie]]'s Music Guide'', p. 56 (Prentice-Hall 1986). [[Nicolas Slonimsky]] described the cellos-on-the-right arrangement as part of a 20th-century "sea change" (''Lectionary of Music'', p. 342 (McGraw-Hill 1989).</ref> The first violins are led by the [[concertmaster]] (leader in the UK); each of the other string sections also has a principal player (principal second violin, principal viola, principal cello, and principal bass) who play the orchestral solos for the section, lead entrances and, in some cases, determine the bowings for the section (the concertmaster/leader may set the bowings for all strings, or just for the upper strings). The principal string players sit at the front of their section, closest to the conductor and on the row of performers which is closest to the audience.

In the 19th century it was standard<ref>{{author missing|date=September 2013}} (1948). "Orchestra" in ''Encyclopedia Americana'', {{oclc|1653189}} {{asin|B00M99G7V6}} {{page needed|date=September 2013}}.</ref> to have the first and second violins on opposite sides (violin I, cello, viola, violin II), rendering obvious the crossing of their parts in, for example, the opening of the finale to [[Tchaikovsky]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Tchaikovsky)|Sixth Symphony]]. If space or numbers are limited, cellos and basses can be put in the middle, violins and violas on the left (thus facing the audience) and winds to the right; this is the usual arrangement in [[orchestra pit]]s.<ref>{{ill|Ferdinand Simon Gaßner|de}}, [https://books.google.com/books?id=8GCpcQCTDagC ''Dirigent und Ripienist''] (Karlsruhe, Ch. Th. Groos, 1844){{page needed|date=February 2024}}. [[Rousseau]]'s ''Dictionnaire de musique'' (1768), however, has a figure showing second violins facing the audience and principals facing the singers, reflecting the [[concertmaster]]'s former role as [[Conductor (music)|conductor]].</ref> The seating may also be specified by the composer, as in [[Béla Bartók]]'s ''[[Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta]]'', which uses [[antiphony|antiphonal]] string sections, one on each side of the stage.

If space or numbers are limited, cellos and basses can be put in the middle, violins and violas on the left (thus facing the audience) and winds to the right; this is the usual arrangement in [[orchestra pit]]s.<ref>Gassner, "Dirigent und Ripienist" (Karlsruhe 1844). [[Rousseau]]'s ''Dictionnaire de musique'' (1768), however, has a figure showing second violins facing the audience and principals facing the singers, reflecting the [[concertmaster]]'s former role as [[Conductor (music)|conductor]].</ref> The seating may also be specified by the composer, as in [[Béla Bartók]]'s ''[[Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta]]'', which uses [[antiphony|antiphonal]] string sections, one on each side of the stage. In some cases, due to space constraints (as with an opera pit orchestra) or other issues, a different layout may be used.

==="Desks" and divisi===

In a typical stage set-up, the first and second violins, violas and cellos are seated by twos, a pair of performers sharing a stand being called a "desk", Each principal (or section leader) is usually on the "outside" of the first desk, that is, closest to the audience, in practice called "the quartet". When the music calls for subdivision of the players the normal procedure for such divisi passages is that the "outside" player of the desk (the one closer to the audience) takes the upper part, the "inside" player the lower, but it is also possible to divide by alternating desks, the favored method in threefold divisi.<ref>[[Norman delDel Mar]]: ''Anatomy of the Orchestra'' (University of California Press, 1981) weighs the various merits in the chapter "Platform planning", pp.49- 49ff</ref> The "inside" player typically turns the pages of the part, while the "outside" player continues playing. In cases where a page turn occurs during an essential musical part, modern performers may photocopy some of the music to enable the page turn to take place during a less important place in the music.

There are more variations of set-up with the double bass section, depending on the size of the section and the size of the stage. The basses are commonly arranged in an arc behind the cellos, either standing or sitting on high stools, usually with two players sharing a stand; though occasionally, due to the large width of the instrument, it is found easier for each player to have their own stand. There are not usually as many basses as cellos, so they are either in one row, or for a larger section, in two rows, with the second row behind the first. In some orchestras, some or all of the string sections may be placed on wooden risers, which are platforms that elevate the performers.

==Numbers and proportions==

The size of a string section may be expressed with a formula of the type (for example) 10-10-8-10-610–10–8–10–6, designating the number of first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, and basses. The numbers can vary widely: Wagner in ''[[Die Walküre]]'' specifies 16-16-12-12-816–16–12–12–8;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Millington|first=Barry|title=The New Grove Guide to Wagner and his Operas|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|___location=Oxford|pages=290}}</ref> the band orchestra in [[Darius Milhaud]]'s ''[[La création du monde]]'' is 1-1-0-1-11–1–0–1–1.<ref>{{cite nameweb|title="SPC">"Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra" (programProgram notes), |publisher=[[Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra,]]|date=2006|author=Svend 1999, TheSPCO.org webpage: [Brown|url=http://www.thespco.org/events/program_notes.cfm?id_program_notes=98 SPCO|url-98] {{webarchivestatus=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20061001012158/http://www.thespco.org/events/program_notes.cfm?id_program_notes=98|archive-date=2006-10-01}}</ref> In general, music from the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] period (ca. 1600-17501600–1750) and the [[Classical music period|Classical]] period (ca. 1720-18001720–1800) used (and is often played in the modern era with) smaller string sections. During the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] period (ca. 1800-19101800–1910), string sections were significantly enlarged to produce a louder, fuller string sound that could match the loudness of the large [[brass instrument|brass]] sections used in orchestral music from this period. During the [[20th-century classical music|modern]] era, some composers requested smaller string sections. In some regional orchestras, amateur orchestras and [[youth orchestra]]s, the string sections may be relatively small, due to the challenges of finding enough string players.

The music for a string section is not necessarily written in five parts; besides the variants discussed below, in classical orchestras the 'quintet' is often called a 'quartet', with basses and cellos playing together.

===Double bass section===

The role of the [[double bass]] section evolved considerably during the 19th century. In orchestral works from the [[classical period (music)|classical]] era, the bass and cello would typically play from the same part, labelled "Bassi".<ref>''[[Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians]]'', online edition, article "Orchestra", section 6.</ref> Given the pitch range of the instruments, this means that if a double bassist and a cellist read the same part, the double bass player would be doubling the cello part an octave lower. While passages for cellos alone (marked ''"{{lang|it|senza bassi"''}}) are common in Mozart and Haydn, independent parts for both instruments become frequent in Beethoven and Rossini and common in later works of Verdi and Wagner.

==Variants==

===String section without violins===

In [[Joseph Haydn|Haydn]]'s oratorio ''[[The Creation (Haydn)|The Creation]]'', the music to which God tells the newly created beasts to be fruitful and multiply achieves a rich, dark tone by its setting for divided viola and cello sections with violins omitted. Famous works without violins include the 6th of the [[Brandenburg Concertos|Brandenburg Concerti]] by [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Serenades (Brahms)|Second Serenade]] of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]], the opening movement of [[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]'s ''[[Ein Deutschesdeutsches Requiem]]'', [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]]'s ''[[Requiem (Lloyd Webber)|Requiem]]'', and [[Philip Glass]]'s opera ''[[Akhnaten (opera)|Akhnaten]]''. [[Gabriel Fauré|Fauré]]'s original versions of his ''[[Requiem (Fauré)|Requiem]]'' and ''[[Cantique de Jean Racine]]'' were without violin parts, there being parts for 1st and 2nd viola, and for 1st and 2nd cello; though optional violin parts were added later by publishers. Some orchestral works by [[Giacinto Scelsi]] omit violins, using only the lower strings.

===String section without violas===

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===Third violins===

[[Richard Strauss]]' ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' (1909) and ''[[Josephslegende]]'', the third movement of [[Shostakovich]]'s [[Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich)|Symphony No. 5]] and some of [[George Frideric Handel|Handel]]'s [[coronation anthem]]s, are notable examples of the violins being divided threefold.{{citation needed|date=December 2017}}

==In other musical genres==

"String section" is also used to describe a group of bowed string instruments used in [[rock music|rock]], [[pop music|pop]], [[jazz music|jazz]] and [[jingle|commercial]] music.<ref name="stringsection">{{cite web|url=http://www.stringsection.co.uk/|title=The String Section -– studio strings or online session musicians|website=www.stringsection.co.uk}}</ref> In this context the size and composition of the string section is less standardised, and usually smaller, than a classical complement.<ref name="absil">{{cite web|url=http://www.fransabsil.nl/archpdf/strsize.pdf|title=Size of the String Section in Popular Music Recordings, |author=F. G. J.Absil, Absil|year=2010}}</ref>

==References==

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{{Orchestra}}

{{Violin family}}

{{Portal bar|Classical music}}

[[Category:String section| ]]

[[Category:BowedTypes instrumentsof musical groups]]

[[Category:Musical groups]]

[[Category:Sections of the orchestra]]