Larry Lemer asked:

> "Strings"? How many? What kind?

"Strings" is a standard name for five parts:
1st violins
2nd violins
violas
cellos
basses
each part to be played by several musiciens, the number of each
depending on the orchestra. In a small orchestra, it can be for
example: 6 1sts, 6 2nds, 4 violas, 3 cellos and 2 basses; in a big one,
it can be, for example: (16,16,12,8,6). For the Bartok concerto
something like the latter distribution would better suit than the
former.
Proportions like this were traditionally established, mostly for
acoustical reasons.

Best, Pierre

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Pierre Csillag
http://www.geocities.com/pcsillag.geo/
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