An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term ''orchestra'' derives from the Greek ''ορχήστρα'', the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus. The orchestra grew by accretion throughout the eighteenth and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century.

A smaller-sized orchestra for this time period (of about fifty players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra. A full-size orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these modifiers do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). A symphony orchestra will usually have over eighty musicians on its roster, in some cases over a hundred, but the actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played and the size of the venue. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty musicians; some are much smaller than that. Orchestras can also be found in schools.

Instrumentation

The typical symphony orchestra consists of four proportionate groups of similar musical instruments called the woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings, and also the fifth proportionate group of similar musical instruments like the rhythm section in modern times. The orchestra, depending on the size, contains almost all of the standard instruments in each group. In the history of the orchestra, its instrumentation has been expanded over time, often agreed to have been standardized by the classical period and Beethoven's influence on the classical model.

Beethoven's influence

The so-called "standard complement" of double winds and brass in the orchestra from the first half of the 19th century is generally attributed to the forces called for by Ludwig van Beethoven. The exceptions to this are his Symphony No. 4, Violin Concerto, and Piano Concerto No. 4, which each specify a single flute. The composer's instrumentation almost always included paired flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets. Beethoven carefully calculated the expansion of this particular timbral "palette" in Symphonies 3, 5, 6, and 9 for an innovative effect. The third horn in the "Eroica" Symphony arrives to provide not only some harmonic flexibility, but also the effect of "choral" brass in the Trio. Piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombones add to the triumphal finale of his Symphony No. 5. A piccolo and a pair of trombones help deliver storm and sunshine in the Sixth. The Ninth asks for a second pair of horns, for reasons similar to the "Eroica" (four horns has since become standard); Beethoven's use of piccolo, contrabassoon, trombones, and untuned percussion – plus chorus and vocal soloists – in his finale, are his earliest suggestion that the timbral boundaries of "symphony" might be expanded for good. But for several decades after his departure, symphonic instrumentation was faithful to Beethoven's well-established model, with few exceptions.

Expanded instrumentation

Apart from the core orchestral complement, various other instruments are called for occasionally. These include the classical guitar, heckelphone, flugelhorn, cornet, harpsichord, and organ. Saxophones, for example, appear in a limited range of 19th and 20th century scores. While appearing only as featured solo instruments in some works, for example Maurice Ravel's orchestration of Modest Mussorgsky's ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' and Sergei Rachmaninoff's ''Symphonic Dances'', the saxophone is included in other works, such as Ravel's ''Boléro'', Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suites 1 and 2, Vaughan Williams Symphony No.6 and Symphony No.9 and William Walton's ''Belshazzar's Feast'', and many other works as a member of the orchestral ensemble. The euphonium is featured in a few late Romantic and 20th century works, usually playing parts marked "tenor tuba", including Gustav Holst's ''The Planets'', and Richard Strauss's ''Ein Heldenleben''. The Wagner tuba, a modified member of the horn family, appears in Richard Wagner's cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' and several other works by Richard Strauss, Béla Bartók, and others; it has a prominent role in Anton Bruckner's ''Symphony No. 7 in E Major''. Cornets appear in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet ''Swan Lake'', Claude Debussy's ''La Mer'', and several orchestral works by Hector Berlioz. Unless these instruments are played by members doubling on another instrument (for example, a trombone player changing to euphonium for a certain passage), orchestras will use freelance musicians to augment their regular rosters.

The 20th century orchestra was far more flexible than its predecessors. During composers Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn's time, the orchestra was composed of a fairly standard core of instruments which was very rarely modified. As time progressed, and as the Romantic period saw changes in accepted modification with composers such as Berlioz, followed by Johannes Brahms and eventually Gustav Mahler, the 20th century saw that instrumentation could practically be hand-picked by the composer. Today, however, the modern orchestra has generally been considered standardized with the modern instrumentation listed below.

With this history in mind, the orchestra can be seen to have a general evolution as outlined below. The first is a typical classical orchestra (i.e. Beethoven/Haydn), the second is typical of an early/mid- romantic (i.e. Brahms/Dvořák/Tchaikovsky), late romantic/early 20th century (i.e. Wagner/Mahler/Stravinsky), to the common complement of a present day modern orchestras (i.e. Adams/Barber/Copland/Glass).

Classical Orchestra

;Woodwinds: :2 Flutes :2 Oboes :2 Clarinets (in C, B-flat, or A) :2 Bassoons

;Brass: :2 or 4 Horns (in any key) :2 Trumpets (in any key)

;Percussion: :2 Timpani

;Strings: :6 Violins I :6 Violins II :4 Violas :3 Violoncellos :2 Contrabasses

Early Romantic Orchestra

;Woodwinds: :(Piccolo) :2 Flutes :2 Oboes :(English Horn) :2 Clarinets in B-flat, A :(Bass Clarinet in B-flat, A) :2 Bassoons :(Contrabassoon)

;Brass: :4 Horns in F (sometimes in different keys) :2 Trumpets in F (sometimes in different keys) :(2 Cornets in B-flat) :3 Trombones (2 Tenors, 1 Bass) :(Tuba)

;Percussion: :3 Timpani :Snare Drum :Bass Drum :Cymbals :Triangle :Tambourine :Glockenspiel

;Strings: :Harp

:14 Violins I :12 Violins II :10 Violas :8 Violoncellos :6 Double basses

Late Romantic Orchestra

;Woodwinds: :Piccolo :3 Flutes :3 Oboes :English Horn :Clarinet in E-flat :3 Clarinets in B-flat, A :Bass Clarinet :3 Bassoons :Contrabassoon

;Brass: :4-8 Horns in F :3-4 Trumpets in F, C, B-flat :3-4 Trombones (2-3 Tenors, 1 Bass) :(Wagner Tubas (2 Tenors, 2 Bass)) :1-2 Tubas

;Percussion: :4 or more Timpani :Snare drum :Bass drum :Cymbals :Tam-tam :Triangle :Tambourine :Glockenspiel :Xylophone :Chimes

;Keyboards: :Piano :Celesta :Organ

;Strings: :2 Harps

:16 Violins I :16 Violins II :12 Violas :10 Violoncellos :8 Double basses

Modern Orchestra

;Woodwinds: :Piccolo :2 Flutes :2 Oboes :English Horn :2 Clarinets in B-flat/A :Bass Clarinet (and/or Clarinet in E-flat) :(Saxophone) :2 Bassoons :Contrabassoon

;Brass: :4 Horns in F :3 Trumpets in C :3 Trombones (2 Tenors, 1 Bass) :(Euphonium) :Tuba

;Percussion: (Varies heavily according to composer's needs) :Timpani :Snare Drum :Tenor drum :Bass Drum :Cymbals :Tam-tam :Triangle :Wood block :Tambourine :Glockenspiel :Xylophone :Vibraphone :Chimes :Marimba

;Keyboards: :Celesta :Piano

;Strings: :Harp

:16 Violins I :14 Violins II :12 Violas :10 Violoncellos :8 Double basses

Organization

Among the instrument groups and within each group of instruments, there is a generally accepted hierarchy. Every instrumental group (or section) has a principal who is generally responsible for leading the group and playing orchestral solos. The violins are divided into two groups, first violin and second violin, each with its principal. The principal first violin is called the concertmaster (or "leader" in the UK) and is considered the leader of not only the string section, but of the entire orchestra, subordinate only to the conductor.

The principal trombone is considered the leader of the low brass section, while the principal trumpet is generally considered the leader of the entire brass section. Similarly, the principal oboe is considered the leader of the woodwind section, and is the player to whom all others tune. The horn, while technically a brass instrument, often acts in the role of both woodwind and brass. Most sections also have an assistant principal (or co-principal or associate principal), or in the case of the first violins, an assistant concertmaster, who often plays a tutti part in addition to replacing the principal in his or her absence.

A section string player plays unison with the rest of the section, except in the case of divided (''divisi'') parts, where upper and lower parts in the music are often assigned to "outside" (nearer the audience) and "inside" seated players. Where a solo part is called for in a string section, the section leader invariably plays that part. Tutti wind and brass players generally play a unique but non-solo part. Section percussionists play parts assigned to them by the principal percussionist.

In modern times, the musicians are usually directed by a conductor, although early orchestras did not have one, giving this role instead to the concertmaster or the harpsichordist playing the continuo. Some modern orchestras also do without conductors, particularly smaller orchestras and those specializing in historically accurate (so-called "period") performances of baroque and earlier music.

The most frequently performed repertoire for a symphony orchestra is Western classical music or opera. However, orchestras are used sometimes in popular music, extensively in film music, and more and more often in video game music. The term "orchestra" can also be applied to a jazz ensemble, for example in performance of big band music.

History of the orchestra

Early history

The modern orchestra has its historical roots in Ancient Egypt. The first orchestras were made up of small groups of musicians that gathered for festivals, holidays or funerals. During the time of the Roman Empire, the government suppressed the musicians and informal ensembles were banned, but they reappeared after the collapse of the Empire. It was not until the 11th century that families of instruments started to appear with differences in tones and octaves. True modern orchestras started in the late 16th century when composers started writing music for instrumental groups. In the 15th and 16th centuries in Italy the households of nobles had musicians to provide music for dancing and the court, however with the emergence of the theatre, particularly opera, in the early 17th century, music was increasingly written for groups of players in combination, which is the origin of orchestral playing. Opera originated in Italy, and Germany eagerly followed. Dresden, Munich and Hamburg successively built opera houses. At the end of the 17th century opera flourished in England under Henry Purcell, and in France under Lully, who with the collaboration of Molière also greatly raised the status of the entertainments known as ballets, interspersed with instrumental and vocal music....

In the 17th century and early 18th century, instrumental groups were taken from all of the available talent. A composer such as Johann Sebastian Bach had control over almost all of the musical resources of a town, whereas Handel would hire the best musicians available. This placed a premium on being able to rewrite music for whichever singers or musicians were best suited for a performance—Handel produced different versions of the ''Messiah'' oratorio almost every year.

As nobility began to build retreats away from towns, they began to hire musicians to form permanent ensembles. Composers such as the young Joseph Haydn would then have a fixed body of instrumentalists to work with. At the same time, travelling virtuoso performers such as the young Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart would write concerti that showed off their skills, and they would travel from town to town, arranging concerts along the way. The aristocratic orchestras worked together over long periods, making it possible for ensemble playing to improve with practice.

Mannheim School

This change, from civic music making where the composer had some degree of time or control, to smaller court music making and one-off performance, placed a premium on music that was easy to learn, often with little or no rehearsal. The results were changes in musical style and emphasis on new techniques. Mannheim had one of the most famous orchestras of that time, where notated dynamics and phrasing, previously quite rare, became standard (see Mannheim school). It also attended a change in musical style from the complex counterpoint of the baroque period, to an emphasis on clear melody, homophonic textures, short phrases, and frequent cadences: a style that would later be defined as classical.

Throughout the late 18th century composers would continue to have to assemble musicians for a performance, often called an "Academy", which would, naturally, feature their own compositions. In 1781, however, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra was organized from the merchants concert society, and it began a trend towards the formation of civic orchestras that would accelerate into the 19th century. In 1815, Boston's Handel and Haydn Society was founded, in 1842 the New York Philharmonic and the Vienna Philharmonic were formed, and in 1858, the Hallé Orchestra was formed in Manchester. There had long been standing bodies of musicians around operas, but not for concert music: this situation changed in the early 19th century as part of the increasing emphasis in the composition of symphonies and other purely instrumental forms. This was encouraged by composer critics such as E. T. A. Hoffmann who declared that instrumental music was the "purest form" of music. The creation of standing orchestras also resulted in a professional framework where musicians could rehearse and perform the same works repeatedly, leading to the concept of a repertoire in instrumental music.

Performance standards

In the 1830s, conductor François Antoine Habeneck, began rehearsing a selected group of musicians in order to perform the symphonies of Beethoven, which had not been heard of in their entirety in Paris. He developed techniques of rehearsing the strings separately, notating specifics of performance, and other techniques of cuing entrances that were spread across Europe. His rival and friend Hector Berlioz would adopt many of these innovations in his touring of Europe.

Instrumental craftsmanship

The invention of the piston and rotary valve by Heinrich Stölzel and Friedrich Blühmel, both Silesians, in 1815, was the first in a series of innovations, including the development of modern keywork for the flute by Theobald Boehm and the innovations of Adolphe Sax in the woodwinds. These advances would lead Hector Berlioz to write a landmark book on instrumentation, which was the first systematic treatise on the use of instrumental sound as an expressive element of music.

The effect of the invention of valves for the brass was felt almost immediately: instrument-makers throughout Europe strove together to foster the use of these newly refined instruments and continuing their perfection; and the orchestra was before long enriched by a new family of valved instruments, variously known as tubas, or euphoniums and bombardons, having a chromatic scale and a full sonorous tone of great beauty and immense volume, forming a magnificent bass. This also made possible a more uniform playing of notes or intonation, which would lead to a more and more "smooth" orchestral sound that would peak in the 1950s with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra and the conducting of Herbert von Karajan with the Berlin Philharmonic.

During this transition period, which gradually eased the performance of more demanding "natural" brass writing, many composers (notably Wagner and Berlioz) still ''notated'' brass parts for the older "natural" instruments. This practice made it possible for players still using natural horns, for instance, to perform from the same parts as those now playing valved instruments. However, over time, use of the valved instruments became standard, indeed universal, until the revival of older instruments in the contemporary movement towards authentic performance (sometimes known as "historically informed performance").

At the time of the invention of the valved brass, the pit orchestra of most operetta composers seems to have been modest. An example is Sullivan's use of two flutes, one oboe, two clarinets, one bassoon, two horns, two cornets (a piston), two trombones, drums and strings.

During this time of invention, winds and brass were expanded, and had an increasingly easy time playing in tune with each other: particularly the ability for composers to score for large masses of wind and brass that previously had been impractical. Works such as the ''Requiem'' of Hector Berlioz would have been impossible to perform just a few decades earlier, with its demanding writing for twenty woodwinds, as well as four gigantic brass ensembles each including around four trumpets, four trombones, and two tubas.

Wagner's influence

The next major expansion of symphonic practice came from Richard Wagner's Bayreuth orchestra, founded to accompany his musical dramas. Wagner's works for the stage were scored with unprecedented scope and complexity: indeed, his score to Das Rheingold calls for six harps. Thus, Wagner envisioned an ever-more-demanding role for the conductor of the theater orchestra, as he elaborated in his influential work "On Conducting". This brought about a revolution in orchestral composition, and set the style for orchestral performance for the next eighty years. Wagner's theories re-examined the importance of tempo, dynamics, bowing of string instruments and the role of principals in the orchestra. Conductors who studied his methods would go on to be influential themselves.

20th century orchestra

As the early 20th century dawned, symphony orchestras were larger, better funded, and better trained than ever before; consequently, composers could compose larger and more ambitious works. The influence of Gustav Mahler was particularly innovational; his later symphonies, such as the mammoth Symphony No. 8, Mahler pushes the furthest boundaries of orchestral size, employing huge forces. By the peak years of Shostakovich, orchestras could support the most enormous forms of symphonic expression. With the recording era beginning, the standard of performance reached a pinnacle. In recordings, small errors in a performance could be "fixed", but many older conductors and composers could remember a time when simply "getting through" the music as best as possible was the standard. Combined with the wider audience made possible by recording, this led to a renewed focus on particular conductors and on a high standard of orchestral execution. As sound was added to silent film, the virtuoso orchestra became a key component of the establishment of motion pictures as mass-market entertainment.

Counter-revolution

In the 1920s and 1930s, economic as well as artistic considerations led to the formation of smaller concert societies, particularly those dedicated to the performance of music of the avant-garde, including Igor Stravinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. This tendency to start festival orchestras or dedicated groups would also be pursued in the creation of summer musical festivals, and orchestras for the performance of smaller works. Among the most influential of these was the Academy of St Martin in the Fields under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner.

With the advent of the early music movement, smaller orchestras where players worked on execution of works in styles derived from the study of older treatises on playing became common. These include the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the London Classical Players under the direction of Sir Roger Norrington and the Academy of Ancient Music under Christopher Hogwood, among others.

Recent trends

The late 20th century saw a crisis of funding and support for orchestras. The size and cost of a symphony orchestra, compared to the size of the base of supporters, became an issue that struck at the core of the institution. The drastic falling-off of revenues from recording, tied to no small extent to changes in the recording industry itself, began a period of change that has yet to reach its conclusion. Critics such as Norman Lebrecht were vocal in their diagnosis of the problem as the "jet set conductor" and the problems of orchestral repertory and management, while other music administrators such as Michael Tilson Thomas and Esa-Pekka Salonen argued that new music, new means of presenting it, and a renewed relationship with the community could revitalize the symphony orchestra.

It is not uncommon for contemporary composers to use unconventional instruments, including various synthesizers, to achieve desired effects. Many, however, find more conventional orchestral configuration to provide better possibilities for color and depth. Composers like John Adams often employ Romantic-size orchestras, as in Adams' opera ''Nixon in China''; Philip Glass and others may be more free, yet still identify size-boundaries. Glass in particular has recently turned to conventional orchestras in works like the ''Concerto for Cello and Orchestra'' and the Violin Concerto No. 2.

Conductorless orchestras

The post-revolutionary symphony orchestra Persimfans was formed in the Soviet Union in 1922. The unusual aspect of the orchestra was that, believing that in the ideal Marxist state all people are equal, its members felt that there was no need to be led by the dictatorial baton of a conductor; instead they were led by a committee. Although it was a partial success, the principal difficulty with the concept was in changing tempo. The orchestra survived for ten years before Stalin's cultural politics effectively forced it into disbandment by draining away its funding.

Some ensembles, such as the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, based in New York City, have had more success, although decisions are likely to be deferred to some sense of leadership within the ensemble (for example, the principal wind and string players).

Others have returned to the tradition of a principal player, usually a violinist, being the artistic director and running rehearsals (such as the Australian Chamber Orchestra and the New Century Chamber Orchestra).

Multiple conductors

The techniques of polystylism and polytempo music have recently led a few composers to write music where multiple orchestras perform simultaneously. These trends have brought about the phenomenon of polyconductor music, wherein separate sub-conductors conduct each group of musicians. Usually, one principal conductor conducts the sub-conductors, thereby shaping the overall performance. Some pieces are enormously complex in this regard, such as Evgeni Kostitsyn's Third Symphony, which calls for nine conductors.

Charles Ives often used two conductors, one for example to simulate a marching band coming through his piece. ''Realizations for Symphonic Band'' includes one example from Ives.

One of the best examples in the late century orchestral music is Karlheinz Stockhausen's ''Gruppen'', for three orchestras placed around the audience. This way, the sound masses could be spacialized, as in an electroacoustic work. ''Gruppen'' was premiered in Cologne, in 1958, conducted by Stockhausen, Bruno Maderna and Pierre Boulez. Recently, it was performed by Simon Rattle, John Carewe and Daniel Harding.

Other meanings of ''orchestra''

In Ancient Greece, the orchestra was the space between the auditorium and the proscenium (or stage), in which were stationed the chorus and the instrumentalists. The word ''orchestra'' literally means "a dancing place".

In some theaters, the orchestra is the area of seats directly in front of the stage (called ''primafila'' or ''platea''); the term more properly applies to the place in a theatre, or concert hall reserved for the musicians.

See also

Classical music

List of symphony orchestra concert halls

List of symphony orchestras

*List of symphony orchestras in Europe

*List of symphony orchestras in the United States

List of youth orchestras in the United States

Orchestral enhancement

Orchestration

Radio orchestra

Shorthand for orchestra instrumentation

Conductorless orchestra

String orchestra

Jazz ensemble

Rhythm section

Notes

References

External links

The Orchestra: A User's Manual - A fairly concise overview, including detailed video interviews with players of each instrument and various resources

Category:Ancient Greek theatre Category:Musical groups Category:Orchestras

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name	Bill Bailey
birth name	Mark Bailey
birth date	January 13, 1964
birth place	Bath, Somerset, England
active	1989–present
genre	Surreal humour, Musical comedy
spouse	Kristin Bailey (1998–present)
religion	Pagan
website
notable work	''Black Books''''Never Mind the Buzzcocks''''Hot Fuzz''
notable role	Manny Biancoin ''Black Books''Bilboin ''Spaced'' }}

Bill Bailey (born Mark Bailey; 13 January, 1964) is an English comedian, musician and actor. As well as his extensive stand-up work, Bailey is well known for his appearances on ''Black Books'', ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'', ''Have I Got News for You'', and ''QI''.

Bailey was listed by ''The Observer'' as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy in 2003. In 2007 and again in 2010, he was voted the 7th greatest stand-up comic on Channel 4's 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. Bill Bailey is a patron of International Animal Rescue.

Personal life

Bailey was born in Bath, Somerset and spent the majority of his childhood in Keynsham, a town situated between Bath and Bristol in the West of England. His father was a medical practitioner and his mother was a hospital ward sister. His maternal grandparents lived in an annexe, built on the side of the house by his maternal grandfather who was a stonemason and builder. Two rooms at the front of the family house were for his father's surgery.

Bailey was educated at King Edward's School, an independent school in Bath where he was initially an academic pupil winning most of the prizes. However, at about the age of 15 years, he started to become distracted from school work when he realised the thrill of performance as a member of a school band called Behind Closed Doors, which played mostly original work. He was the only pupil at his school to study A-level music and he passed with an A grade. He also claims to have been good at sport (captain of KES 2nd XI cricket team 1982), which often surprised his teachers. He would often combine the two by leading the singing on the long coach trip back from away rugby fixtures. It was here that he was given his nickname Bill by his music teacher, Ian Phipps, for being able to play the song "Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey" so well on the guitar.

He started an English degree at Westfield College of the University of London but left after a year.

He spent his early years listening to Monty Python records, and rehearsing with a band called the "Famous Five", who he himself confesses were very bad but still much better than him and who actually only had four members. However, he is a classically trained musician and received an Associateship Diploma from the London College of Music as well as being made an honorary member of the Society of Crematorium Organists. Despite this, he has said that he always had the temptation to be silly with music, a trait that influences his stand-up shows.

Bailey often mythologises his early years in his stand-up. In his show ''Bewilderness'', he claims to have attended Bovington Gurney School of Performing Arts and Owl Sanctuary. He talks about a succession of jobs he had before becoming a comedian, including lounge pianist, crematorium organist, door-to-door door-salesman and accompanist for a mind-reading dog. A clip of Bailey's appearance in the dog's routine was shown during his ''Room 101'' appearance. He also is self-deprecating about his appearance, suggesting he is so hairy that he is part troll, or that his hair or beard is a small animal named Lionel whom he has trained to sit 'very very still.'

Bailey also talks about his role as a "Disenfranchised Owl" in an experimental Welsh theatre troupe. Other acting roles included a part in a Workers' Revolutionary Party stage production called ''The Printers'', which also featured Vanessa Redgrave and Frances de la Tour. His trivia page on IMDb also claims that he was awarded Best Actor in the 1986 Institut Français awards.

Bailey married Kristin in 1998. An avid ''Star Trek'' fan, he named his son (born 2003) not after the'' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' character Dax as is often reported, but after a childhood friend, and often refers to himself as a Klingon (once claiming during his "Part Troll" tour that his ear-mounted microphone made him resemble "a wizard in a call centre" and "a Klingon motivational speaker").

He currently lives in Hammersmith and supports Queens Park Rangers. In 2010, Bailey endorsed the Labour Party in the upcoming General Election, appearing in the party's fifth party election broadcast of the 2010 campaign. He is also an outspoken feminist and supporter of the Fawcett Society.

Career

Early stand-up

Bailey began touring the country with other comedians such as Mark Lamarr. In 1984 he formed a double act, the Rubber Bishops, with Toby Longworth (a former fellow pupil at King Edward's Bath). They achieved a certain amount of success on the club circuit, partly due to their rigorous schedule – sometimes as many as three or four gigs a night. It was here that Bailey began developing his own unique style, mixing in musical parodies with deconstructions of or variations on traditional jokes ("How many amoebas does it take to change a lightbulb? One, no two! No four! No eight..."). According to comedy folklore, after a reviewer once criticised his act for its lack of jokes, Bailey returned the following night, at Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh, to perform a set composed entirely of punchlines. Toby left to join the RSC in 1989 and was replaced by Martin Stubbs.

Stubbs later quit to pursue a more serious career, and in 1994 Bailey performed ''Rock'' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Sean Lock, a show about an ageing rockstar and his roadie, script-edited by comedy writer Jim Miller. It was later serialised for the Mark Radcliffe show on BBC Radio 1. However, the show's attendances were not impressive and on one occasion the only person in the audience was comedian Dominic Holland. Bailey almost gave up comedy to take up a telesales job.

He persevered, however, and went solo the next year with the one man show ''Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam''. The show was very well received and led to a recording at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London which was broadcast in 1997 on Channel 4 as a one-hour special called ''Bill Bailey Live''. It was not until 2005 that this was released in DVD uncut and under its original title. It marked the first time that Bailey had been able to tie together his music and post-modern gags with the whimsical rambling style he is now known for.

After supporting Donna McPhail in 1995 and winning a ''Time Out'' award, he returned to Edinburgh in 1996 with a critically acclaimed show that was nominated for the Perrier Comedy Award. Amongst the other nominees was future ''Black Books'' co-star Dylan Moran, who narrowly beat him in the closest vote in the award's history.

Bailey won the Best Live Stand-Up award at the British Comedy Awards, 1999.

Television

Though he didn't win the Perrier in 1996, the nomination was enough to get him noticed, and in 1998 the BBC gave him his own television show, ''Is It Bill Bailey?''

This was not Bailey's first foray into television. His debut was on the children's TV show ''Motormouth'' in the late 1980s, playing piano for a mind-reading dog. The trick went hilariously wrong, and Bailey reminisced about the experience on the BBC show ''Room 101'' with Paul Merton in 2000. In 1991, he was appearing in stand-up shows such as ''The Happening'', ''Packing Them In'', ''The Stand Up Show'', and ''The Comedy Store''. He also appeared as captain on two panel games, an ITV music quiz pilot called ''Pop Dogs'', and the poorly received Channel 4 science fiction quiz show, ''Space Cadets''. However ''Is it Bill Bailey?'' was the first time he had written and presented his own show.

With his star on the rise and gaining public recognition, over the next few years, Bailey made well received guest appearances on shows such as ''Have I Got News For You'', ''World Cup Comedy'', ''Room 101'', ''Des O'Connor Tonight'', ''Coast to Coast'' and three episodes of off-beat Channel 4 sitcom ''Spaced'', in which he played comic-shop manager Bilbo Bagshot.

In 1998, Dylan Moran approached him with the pilot script for ''Black Books'', a Channel 4 sitcom about a grumpy bookshop owner, his put-upon assistant, and their neurotic female friend. It was commissioned in 2000, and Bailey took the part of the assistant Manny Bianco, with Moran playing the owner Bernard, and Tamsin Greig the friend, Fran. Three series of six episodes were made, building up a large cult fanbase, providing the public awareness on which Bailey would build a successful national tour in 2001.

When Sean Hughes left his long-term role as a team captain on ''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' in 2002, Bailey became his successor. His style quickly blended into the show, possibly helped by his background in music. He soon developed a rapport of sorts with host Mark Lamarr, who continually teased him about his looks and his pre-occupation with woodland animals. It was announced on 18 September 2008 that Bill would be leaving the series and be replaced by a series of guest captains including Jack Dee and Dermot O'Leary. Whilst touring in 2009, Bailey joked that his main reason for leaving the show was a lack of desire to continue humming Britney Spears' Toxic to little known figures in the indie music scene. It was during this time that he also left his position as "curator" of The Museum of Curiosity, and declared his intention to "retire" from panel games, although he has since appeared on QI many more times and hosted Have I Got News For You.

Bailey has appeared frequently on the intellectual panel game ''QI'' since it began in 2003, appearing alongside host Stephen Fry and regular panellist Alan Davies. Other television appearances include a cameo role in Alan Davies' drama series ''Jonathan Creek'' as failing street magician Kenny Starkiss and obsessed guitar teacher in the "Holiday" episode of Sean Lock's ''Fifteen Storeys High''. He later appeared with Lock again as a guest on his show ''TV Heaven, Telly Hell''. He has also appeared twice on ''Friday Night with Jonathan Ross''. Bill also hosted his own show "Comic's Choice", which aired in 2011.

Bailey also presented ''Wild Thing I Love You'' which began on Channel 4 on 15 October 2006. The series focuses on the protection of Britain's wild animals, and has included rehoming badgers, owls, and water voles.

Bailey has most recently appeared in the second series of the E4 teenage "dramedy" ''Skins'' playing Maxxie's Dad, Walter Oliver. In episode 1, Walter struggles with his son's desire to be a dancer, instead wishing him to become a builder, which is what he himself does for a living. Walter is married to Jackie, played by Fiona Allen.

Bailey appeared on the first episode of Grand Designs Live on 4 May 2008, helping Kevin McCloud build his eco-friendly home. In 2009 Bailey appeared in the BBC show "Hustle" as the Character "Cyclops", a side-line character. In the Autumn of 2009, Bailey presented Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza.

As a continuation of Bailey's recent foray into natural history, he presented ITV1's half-hour wildlife mini-series ''Baboons With Bill Bailey''. The series was filmed in Cape Town and spanned 8 episodes, with exclusive content available on itvWILD.

International tours

In 2001, Bailey began touring the globe with ''Bewilderness'', which became a huge success. A recording of a performance in Swansea was released on DVD the same year, and the show was broadcast on Channel 4 that Christmas. A modified version of it also proved successful in America, and in 2002 Bill released a CD of a recording at the WestBeth Theatre in New York. The show contained all his trademarks, popular music parodies (such as Unisex Chip Shop, a Billy Bragg tribute which he actually performed with Billy Bragg at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival), "three men in a pub" jokes (including one in the style of Geoffrey Chaucer) and deconstructions of television themes such as ''Countdown'' and ''The Magic Roundabout''. A 'Bewilderness' CD was sold outside gigs, which was actually just a mixture of studio recordings of songs and monologues Bill had performed in the past – it was later released in shops as ''Bill Bailey: The Ultimate Collection... Ever!''. That same year he also presented a Channel 4 countdown, ''Top Ten Prog Rock''.

Bailey premiered his show ''Part Troll'' at the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A critical and commercial success, he then transferred it to the West End where tickets sold out in under 24 hours, and new dates had to be added. Since then he has toured it all over the UK as well as in America, Australia and New Zealand. The show marked the first time Bailey had really tackled political material, as he expanded on subjects such as the war on Iraq, which he had only touched upon before in his ''Bewilderness New York'' show. He also talks extensively on drugs, at one point asking the audience to name different ways of baking cannabis. A DVD was released in 2004.

2005 finally saw the release of his 1995 show ''Bill Bailey's Cosmic Jam''. The 2-disc set also contained a director's cut of ''Bewilderness'', which featured a routine on Stephen Hawking's ''A Brief History of Time'' not seen in the original version.

Bailey performed at show at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe entitled "Steampunk". It looked set to become the fastest selling fringe show ever (beating the record Bailey set with The Odd Couple in 2005). But a ticketing mix-up forced the last 10% of tickets to be purchased in person from the venue rather than pre-booked, meaning the venue filled at a slower overall rate than it should have.

Bailey appeared at the Beautiful Days festival in August 2007. The UK leg of the ''Tinselworm'' tour enjoyed 3 sell-out nights at the MEN Arena in Manchester, Europe's largest indoor arena, and culminated with a sell-out performance at Wembley Arena.

Early in 2007, a petition was started to express fans' wishes to see him cast as a dwarf in the 2010 film ''The Hobbit'', after his stand-up routine mentioned auditioning for Gimli in ''The Lord of the Rings''. The petition reached its goal in the early days of January, and was sent to the producers. It was hoped that as the Tinselworm tour took him to Wellington in New Zealand where the film is in pre-production, that he would be able to audition.

Bill Bailey's most recent tour, titled ''Dandelion Mind'', was released on DVD on 22 November 2010.

Other appearances

2000

A small role in British comedy film ''Saving Grace''

2001

19 July: Panelist in Radio 4's show ''The 99p Challenge''

2002

Voice for a BMW Mini advertising campaign

Writer and performer for a series of British Airways adverts in which, through the use of music, he took a humorous look at several locations around the world

Guest panellist on BBC Radio show ''I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue''

2003

Juror No. 4 in ''Twelve Angry Men'', directed by Guy Masterson for the 2003 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Panelist on Radio 4's show ''Just a Minute'' (twice)

4 February: Panelist (for a second time) on Radio 4's show ''The 99p Challenge''

21 October: Presented ''Good Vibrations: The History of the Theremin'' on Radio 4

2005

Voice of the sperm whale in the 2005 film ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''

Co-starred as Oscar in ''The Odd Couple'' (alongside Alan Davies), directed by Guy Masterson for the 2005 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

One of the acts in the Birmingham show "Jasper Carrott's Rock with Laughter", alongside other performers including Bonnie Tyler, Lenny Henry, Bobby Davro and the Lord of the Dance troupe

Returned to Radio 4's ''Just a Minute'' for a third show as a panellist

2006

15 March: Interviewed by Lenny Henry for BBC Radio 4 show ''Chain Reaction''

22 March: Returned to ''Chain Reaction'' to interview Simon Pegg

2007

A minor part in Simon Pegg's and Edgar Wright's film ''Hot Fuzz'', as a pair of desk sergeant twins. (Bailey had originally meant to also appear in Pegg and Wright's earlier film, ''Shaun of the Dead''. but the commentary included with the DVD of that movie explains that he was busy with other commitments at the time.)

February: Organised, produced, and starred in West End show Pinter's People, a collection of sketches by playwright Harold Pinter. The show also starred Kevin Eldon, Sally Phillips and Geraldine McNulty

March: Appeared at the International Human Beatbox Convention at the South Bank Centre in London, introducing Shlomo to the stage for the climax of the concert, as well as showing off his own beatboxing

4 May: Guest presenter for an episode of BBC One's ''Have I Got News for You'' (a role he returned to on 9 May 2008)

July: Narrator for 'Nessy Tales', a series of animated reading books for dyslexic children

2008

Guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs

February: Co-host of the first series of BBC Radio 4's panel show ''The Museum of Curiosity''

9 May: Guest presenter for an episode of BBC One's ''Have I Got News for You''

9 June: Guest on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. Later that day, appeared as Rushton in the first episode of an adaptation of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists on the same station 7 September: Guest on live Australian TV show 'Rove'. In a questionnaire to win in 20 seconds, host Rove McManus asked his usual question, "Who would you turn gay for?". Bailey replied, "The pope" September: One of the hosts of the ''So You Think You're Funny'' comedy gala at the ''Edinburgh Festival Fringe''

11 October: Guest on BBC Radio 4's ''Loose Ends''

12 November: Performed for "We Are Most Amused", a special comedy performance to celebrate the 60th birthday of Prince Charles

2010

30 March: took part in ''Channel 4's Comedy Gala'', a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London.

27 June: appeared on Top Gear's ''Star in a Reasonably Priced Car'', while impersonating Angelina Jolie. He finished with a time of 1:50.8 in the Kia Cee'd.

28 September: the first guest on new ABC TV conversation program ''A Quiet Word With ...''.

Music

Bailey is a talented pianist and guitarist, and has perfect pitch; of this he has said }} His stand-up routines often feature music from genres such as jazz, rock (most notably prog rock from the early seventies), drum'n'bass, rave and classical, usually for comic value. Favourite instruments include the keyboard, guitar, theremin, kazoo and bongos. He also mentioned in an interview that he has achieved Grade 6 Clarinet. He was part of punk band Beergut 100, which he founded in 1995 with comedy writer Jim Miller and also featured Martin Trenaman and Phil Whelans, with Kevin Eldon as lead singer. The band performed at the 2006 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Trenaman and Welans had previously appeared in ''Cosmic Jam'' under the name "The Stan Ellis Experiment", and Trenaman and Eldon later featured with John Moloney in the Kraftwerk homage "Das Hokey Kokey" on the ''Part Troll'' tour. Bill claims that he and the three other performers are a Kraftwerk tribute band called ''Augenblick''. To mark the final gig of the ''Part Troll'' tour on 1 January 2005 the band reappeared on stage after the "Das Hokey Kokey" joke to play an hour-long encore of music.

In February 2007, Bill appeared on two occasions with the BBC Concert Orchestra and Anne Dudley in a show entitled ''Cosmic Shindig''. Performed in The Colosseum in Watford on 24 February and in the Queen Elizabeth Hall on 26 February, the show contained orchestrally accompanied versions of many of Bill's previously performed songs, an exploration of the instruments of the orchestra and a number of new pieces of music. The Queen Elizabeth Hall performance was aired on BBC Radio 3 on 16 March 2007 as a part of Comic Relief 2007.

Bill had planned to put himself forward as Britain's Eurovision entry in 2008, as a result of several fan petitions encouraging him to do so.

In October 2008 he performed ''Bill Bailey's Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra'' at the Royal Albert Hall with the BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted by Anne Dudley.

In 2009, Bailey presented a project about the explorer and naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, in the form of an Indonesian travelogue. Bailey said in an interview that Wallace had been "airbrushed out of history", and that he feels a "real affinity" with him.

In November 2009 he was a guest on ''Private Passions'', the biographical music discussion programme on BBC Radio 3.

In July 2011, Bailey performed at the Sonisphere Festival in Knebworth, headlining the Saturn Stage.

Tours

''Cosmic Jam'' (1995)

''Bewilderness'' (2001)

''Part Troll'' (2004)

''Steampunk'' (2006) (Edinburgh Festival)

''Tinselworm'' (2008)

''Bill Bailey Live'' (2008–09) (Theatre Tour with Some Material from Tinselworm, but Mostly New Material)

''Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra'' (2009)

''Dandelion Mind'' (2010)

DVD releases

!Title	!Released	!Notes
''Bewilderness''	12 November 2001
''Part Troll''	22 November 2004	Live at London's HMV Hammersmith Apollo
''Cosmic Jam''	7 November 2005	Live at London's Bloomsbury Theatre
''Tinselworm''	10 November 2008	Live at London's Wembley Arena
''Remarkable Guide to the Orchestra''	23 November 2009	Live at London's Royal Albert Hall
''Dandelion Mind''	22 November 2010

Filmography

''The James Whale Radio Show (TV series)'' (circa 1990) (Guest)

''Blue Heaven (Channel 4 TV series)'' (1994)

''Asylum'' (1996)

''Space Cadets'' (1997) (Regular team captain)

''Is It Bill Bailey?'' (1998)

''Spaced'' (1999–2001)

''Have I Got News for You'' (guest 1999, 2001, 2005; guest presenter 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011)

''Saving Grace'' (2000)

''Maid Marian and her Merry Men (1992). Cameo court jester to King John

''Black Books'' (2000–2004)

''Jonathan Creek''

* "Satan's Chimney" (2001)

* "The Tailor's Dummy" (2003)

''Wild West'' (2002–2004)

''Never Mind the Buzzcocks'' (2002–2008) (Regular team captain)

''QI'' (2003–present) (Frequent guest)

"15 Storeys High" – "The Holiday" (2004)

''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (2005) (Voice of the Sperm Whale)

''The Libertine'' (Small cameo role as advisor to Charles II of England).

''Wild Thing I Love You'' (2006) (Presenter)

''Top Gear (A Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car)

''Hot Fuzz'' (2007)

''Run Fatboy Run'' (2007) (Cameo)

''Skins'' (2008)

''Love Soup'' (2008)

''We Are Most Amused'' (2008) (''One-off special'')

''Hustle''

* "Return of the Prodigal" (2009)

* "Diamond Seeker" (2009)

''Steve's World'' (2009)

''Burke and Hare'' (2010)

''Bill Bailey's Bird Watching Bonanza'' (2010)

''Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang'' (2010)

''Talkin' 'bout Your Generation'' (2010); one episode

''Chalet Girl'' (2011)

References

External links

.

Bill Bailey on Chortle.

Category:1965 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:20th-century writers Category:21st-century writers Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Category:Alumni of Westfield College Category:English buskers Category:English comedians Category:English comedy musicians Category:English composers Category:English film actors Category:English guitarists Category:English stand-up comedians Category:English television actors Category:English television writers Category:Living people Category:Never Mind the Buzzcocks Category:People from Bath, Somerset Category:People from Keynsham Category:People educated at King Edward's School, Bath

cy:Bill Bailey fr:Bill Bailey ga:Bill Bailey nl:Bill Bailey no:Bill Bailey ru:Бэйли, Билл (комедиант) simple:Bill Bailey fi:Bill Bailey sv:Bill Bailey

Name	The Orchestra
Background	group_or_band
Origin	Birmingham, England
Genre	Rock music, Pop music
Years active	2000–present
Associated acts	Electric Light OrchestraELO Part IIStyx
Website
Current members	Louis ClarkEric TroyerMik KaminskiGordon TownsendPhil BatesGlen Burtnik
Past members	Kelly GroucuttParthenon Huxley }}

The Orchestra is a rock band formed by former members of the Electric Light Orchestra and ELO Part II. It is the continuation of ELO Part II following Bev Bevan's departure and selling of the rights to Jeff Lynne.

History

By 2000 Bev Bevan had sold his fifty per cent share of the Electric Light Orchestra name as well as the rights to the ELO Part II name to Jeff Lynne. Lynne, now the full owner of the ELO name, took legal action to prevent the band from continuing to call themselves “ELO Part II”. They initially tried to alter their name to “ELO2”, but they eventually submitted and changed their name to The Orchestra.

In 2001 The Orchestra released a limited number of their CD ''No Rewind'' which was produced and released without involvement from a major record label (but was subsequently released in Argentina by Art Music in 2005 and reissued worldwide in 2006). The album contains The Orchestra's best known non-ELO song, ''Over London Skies'', a loving homage to the classic ELO sound in ''Jewel & Johnny'' and a cover of ''Twist and Shout'' which begins in a slow, plaintive minor key with arpeggiated chords before building to the familiar, rocking major progression. With the release of ''No Rewind'', The Orchestra worked more original material into their set, with ''Jewel & Johnny'' and the album's title song becoming staples. The band continues to tour and regularly sells out shows in Chile, Argentina, the UK, Eastern Europe and elsewhere around the world.

In late 2004, a legal dispute almost erupted between The Orchestra and a Florida-based rock band called theOrchestra, but the issue was settled out-of-court.

The Orchestra toured the UK extensively in 2006 following the re-issue of ''No Rewind''. The band were promoted using the descriptive phrase "Electric Light Orchestra Part II Former Members". Lynne sued The Orchestra, claiming copyright infringement. The matter went to litigation and in August 2006, a Los Angeles judge ruled in favour of the members of The Orchestra.

During The Orchestra's 2006 UK tour, Phil Bates, formerly a member of Trickster, ELO Part II and Bev Bevan's Move, stood in for Parthenon Huxley at a couple of gigs when Huxley had to return unexpectedly to the States. Huxley then left altogether in July 2007 and was replaced permanently by Bates.

In 2008 The Orchestra participated in the Sweden Rock Festival.

On February 18, 2009 the group returned from a sell out concert in Berlin. But a few hours after returning home, Kelly Groucutt collapsed of a massive heart attack and died the following day. The band decided to carry on and brought in former Styx man Glen Burtnik on bass (Glen had filled in for Kelly previously during a 1998 ELO Part II tour when the latter had taken ill). On July 17, 2009 they opened for the Alan Parsons Live Project at DTE Theater in Clarkston, Michigan. Also in 2009 German bassist Ralf Vornberger played with the band in Israel when Glen was unavailable due to other work commitments booked before he joined the band.

Members

Current members

Louis Clark - keyboards, orchestral arranger and conductor (2000–present) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Eric Troyer - keyboards, vocals, guitar (2000–present) (from ELO Part II)

Mik Kaminski - violin (2000–present) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Gordon Townsend - drums (2000–present)

Phil Bates - guitar, vocals (2007–present) (from ELO Part II)

Glen Burtnik - bass guitar, vocals (2009–present)

Former Members

Kelly Groucutt - bass guitar, vocals (2000–2009) (from ELO and ELO Part II)

Parthenon Huxley - guitar, vocals (2000–2007) (from ELO Part II)

Discography

''No Rewind'' (2001)

Live albums

''The Orchestra Live'' (2008)

Videos

''Live in Reno'' (DVD), (2006)

Live Lineup History

References

External links

The Orchestra on Facebook

Category:Musical septets Category:Electric Light Orchestra

name	Walt Ribeiro
instrument	Guitar, Piano
genre	Classical, Jazz
occupation	Composer, Musician, Teacher
years active	2000–
website	ForOrchestra.com, WaltRibeiro.net
background	non_vocal_instrumentalist }}

Walt Ribeiro, a New Jersey native, is a composer of classical music. His work has been primarily distributed via the internet. His symphony ''I.I'' was written for an 80-piece orchestra, but produced using orchestral sampling software. Ribeiro is also notable for his music tutorials available via web sites such as YouTube, which he ended in October 2009. That same year he launched For Orchestra where he arranged pop songs for orchestra. His arrangements have covered songs by Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Rimsky Korsakov, and MGMT to name a few. It has since been featured on Comedy Central Tosh.O, Perez Hilton, Green Plastic for his Radiohead arrangement and more.

Ribeiro was born January 25, 1984.

References

External links

The Official Walt Ribeiro Site

http://www.fororchestra.com ForOrchestra.com

Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:Living people