Ensemble

How it is used

Used for chamber groups, casts, bands, choirs, and orchestras. Teachers also use it to describe coordinated timing, balance, and blend.

Example sentences

1. Our ensemble rehearses every Thursday, and the director rotates seating to improve balance between the winds and lower strings.

   Here, ensemble means the performing group itself, organized as a unit with sections that must be balanced.

2. The review praised the quartet’s ensemble, noting that their entrances were precise and their phrasing sounded unusually unified.

   In this sentence, ensemble refers to coordinated togetherness, especially accurate entries, shared timing, and blended musical shaping.

Common collocations

• chamber ensemble
• ensemble playing
• full ensemble

Related terms

• orchestraA large group of musicians playing string, woodwind, brass and percussion instruments together, usually led by a conductor.
• bandA group of musicians who play together, especially in pop, rock or jazz, or a group of wind and percussion players such as a marching band.

More terms: Instruments and Voice

• instrument
• tune
• out of tune
• vocals
• strings
• percussion
• brass
• woodwind
• timbre
• vocal range
• a cappella
• backing vocals