ENSEMBLES

Many of the instruments documented on this site are utilized in ensembles, which are named groupings of instruments that have associated with them a specific repertoire of music. Only ensembles comprised of instruments found in this collection are presented here, and you can access texts, instrument inventories, and audio clips for these by clicking on a link from the list below. The ensembles represented here are organized into groups by a number of intersecting cultural, musical, and contextual criteria. From the pictorial inventory found on an ensemble page you can link to the main entry for each instrument to find out further information about it.

PRESENT DAY WESTERN CONCERT HALL ENSEMBLES

String Orchestra
Symphony Orchestra
Concert Band and Wind Ensembles

PRESENT DAY WESTERN CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLES

String Chamber Ensembles (string trio; string quartet; string quintet)
Piano and String Chamber Ensembles (piano trio; piano quartet; piano quintet)
Woodwind Quintet
Flute Ensembles
Saxophone Ensembles
Brass Ensembles
Mixed Percussion Ensembles
Keyboard Percussion Ensembles

PRESENT DAY WESTERN JAZZ ENSEMBLES

Jazz Big Band
Jazz Combo 

EARLY WESTERN CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLES

Renaissance Crumhorn Consort
Renaissance Recorder Consort
Renaissance Viola da Gamba Consort
Baroque Trio Sonata
Classical Era String Quartet

PRESENT DAY AMERICAN VERNACULAR ENSEMBLES

Bluegrass String Band 

PRESENT DAY NON-WESTERN MUSIC ENSEMBLES: LATIN AMERICA

Capoeira Ensemble from Brazil
Samba Ensemble from Brazil
Kantu Ensemble from Bolivia
Steel Band from Trinidad and Tobago

 PRESENT DAY NON-WESTERN MUSIC ENSEMBLES: AFRICA

Bira (Shona Possession Ceremony) Instruments from Zimbabwe
Jeliya Instruments of Mandinka Hereditary Musicians from Gambia
Tantango Ensemble from Gambia
Kete Ensemble from Ghana

PRESENT DAY NON-WESTERN MUSIC ENSEMBLES: ASIA

Gamelan Besi (Iron) from Central Java (Indonesia)
Gamelan Prunggu (Bronze) from West Java (Indonesia)
Hindustani Ensemble from North India
Jingju (Beijing Opera) Ensemble form China
Sizhu Ensemble from China
Nongak and Samullori Ensembles from Korea
Sankyoku Ensemble from Japan

 PRESENT DAY NON-WESTERN MUSIC ENSEMBLES: OCEANIA

Hula Accompanying Instruments from Hawaii