A
symphony is an extended
musical composition in Western
classical music, most often written by
composers for
orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning common today: a work usually consisting of multiple distinct sections or
movements, often four, with the first movement in
sonata form. Symphonies are scored for
string (
violin,
viola,
cello and
double bass),
brass,
woodwind, and
percussion instruments which altogether number about 30–100 musicians. Symphonies are notated in a
musical score, which contains all the instrument parts. Orchestral musicians play from parts which contain just the notated music for their instrument. A small number of symphonies also contain vocal parts (e.g.,
Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony).