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==Numbers and proportions==
The size of a string section may be expressed with a formula of the type (for example) 10-10-8-10-6, designating the number of first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, and basses. The numbers can vary widely: Wagner in ''[[Die Walküre]]'' specifies 16-16-12-12-8;<ref>{{Cite book|last=Millington|first=Barry|title=The New Grove Guide to Wagner and his Operas|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006|isbn=|___location=Oxford|pages=290}}</ref> the band orchestra in [[Darius Milhaud]]'s ''[[La création du monde]]'' is 1-1-0-1-1.<ref name="SPC">"Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra" (program notes), Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, 1999, TheSPCO.org webpage: [http://www.thespco.org/events/program_notes.cfm?id_program_notes=98 SPCO-98] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.is/20061001012158/http://www.thespco.org/events/program_notes.cfm?id_program_notes=98|date=2006-10-01}}</ref> In general, music from the [[Baroque music|Baroque]] eraperiod (ca. 1600-1750) and the [[Classical music period|Classical]] period (ca. 1720-1800) used (and is often played in the modern era with) smaller string sections. During the [[Romantic music|Romantic]] eraperiod (ca. 1800-1910), string sections were significantly enlarged to produce a louder, fuller string sound that could match the loudness of the large [[brass instrument]] sections used in orchestral music from this period. During the [[contemporary20th-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|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 ''"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==
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