PITORCHESTRA
Pit orchestra
A pit orchestra is a type of orchestra that accompanies performers in musicals, operas, and other shows involving music. The terms was also used for orchestras accompanying silent movies when more than a piano was used. In performances of operas and ballets, the pit orchestra is typically similar in size to a symphony orchestra, though it may contain smaller string and brass sections, depending upon the piece. Such orchestras may vary in size from approximately 30 musicians to as many as 90-100 musicians . However, because of financial, space, and volume concerns, the musical theatre pit orchestra is considerably smaller .The above text is a snippet from Wikipedia: Pit orchestra
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