The Young Composer

Meet the great composers, learn music theory, and start composing your own music — free interactive tools for young musicians.
← All printables
Cover of The Orchestra Throughout History
Wall Chart

The Orchestra Throughout History

A wall chart tracking the orchestra's growth from a 20-player Baroque band to a 100-player Late Romantic orchestra, with instrumentation, repertoire and player counts for five eras.

A3 · 1 page · 749 KB ⤢ View ⬇ Download PDF

What's inside

  • A line chart of orchestra size from 1720 to 1950, growing from 20 to 100 players and settling back to 90
  • Five eras — Baroque, Classical, Early Romantic, Late Romantic and Modern — each with typical player counts by section
  • Instrumentation and what was new in each era, with a landmark work to hear it in
  • Three panels on why the orchestra grew, what stayed the same across every era, and when the conductor appeared
  • A note that a chamber orchestra playing without a conductor today is a return to Baroque practice, not a novelty
orchestra-historyinstrumentationbaroqueromantictimeline

You might also want

Wall Chart

Brass Fingerings & Slide Positions

A wall chart of the one valve pattern shared by trumpet, horn, euphonium and tuba, the trombone's seven slide positions, and what every brass part tells you before you play a note.

A3 · 1 page · 369 KB ⬇ Download
Wall Chart

The Cello Fingerboard

A note-by-note map of the cello fingerboard in first position, with finger positions, scales that stay in first position, and how to shift up the neck.

A3 · 1 page · 488 KB ⬇ Download
Wall Chart

Chamber Music Wall Chart

A one-page rehearsal-room reference for chamber ensembles — seating and sightlines, tuning order, the group types, the four textures, who leads what, balance, score reading, part markings and rehearsal-room vocabulary.

A3 · 1 page · 939 KB ⬇ Download

Looking for step-by-step lessons instead? Head to Music Theory. Want composing ideas? Try Composing.