German line-up

A certain seating arrangement of a symphony orchestra is described as a German arrangement (also antiphonic or European arrangement ) .

The difference to the American arrangement is the arrangement of the strings: the 2nd violins are not next to, but opposite the 1st violins, the double basses are behind the 1st violins, the violas are usually next to the second violins and the cellos instead of the 2nd Violins next to the 1st violins. This has an impact on the sound balance and was the usual setup until the beginning of the 20th century. Accordingly, the effects intended by classical or romantic composers come to light better. However, the interplay between the 1st and 2nd violins is more difficult than with the American setup. With the winds, the horns sit next to the oboes, which creates a compact, classical core of the orchestra and enables better communication between the solo horn and the solo oboe.

The German list is mainly used for works in historical performance practice. Symphonic orchestras that play in German line-up include the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra .

literature

• Michael Dickreiter , Volker Dittel, Wolfgang Hoeg, Martin Wöhr (eds.): Manual of the recording studio technology . 8th edition. tape 1 . de Gruyter, Berlin 2014, ISBN 978-3-11-028978-7 , p. 330 ff . ( limited preview in Google Book search).