The lute is a plucked stringed instrument with pear-shaped body and a bent-back pegbox at the top of the neck. The lute’s body is deeply curved at the back and the sound hole is round, often carved with a flower pattern. Lute can have from four to twenty-five strings. It’s origin comes from the Arabic oud, which was introduced to Europe in the 13th century during the crusades. The lute was popular from Medieval times, and remained one of the most important instruments during the Renaissance and Baroque eras.

The ancient Sumerians invented the first lyres around 3200 BC.

The lyre is played by holding the instrument in one arm and plucking the strings with the other hand.

The lyre was a very important instrument in ancient Greece, and was made of turtle shells, with the strings being made from sheep gut. The lyre’s pegs were made of different materials – often metal (usually bronze), bone, or wood. Modern lyres are often made of wood with nylon strings.

The shawm is the precursor to today’s oboe, and is also played with a double-reed. Its origins are from the Middle East from around the 8th or 9th century, and it appears in Western music from the 12th century .The shawm became the most important instrument of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and it was widely used in official and court ceremonies as well as in dance music ensembles.

The shawm is still used in Middle Eastern and European folk music to this day.

The bassoon is a double-reed instrument, and like the oboe, it is descended from the 13th century shawm. Adaptations to the shawm were made in the 16th century to reduce the size of the instrument, transforming it into what was known as a dulcian or curtal. The early bassoon consisted of four sections: wing joint, boot, long joint and bell, and the main change made to it over the course of the 18th century was primarily the addition of new keys. The contrabassoon (or double bassoon) sounds an octave lower than the bassoon.

The cello was first called the bass violin, then the violoncello, which translates to “big little violin” in Italian. The first ‘modern’ cello dates to the mid 16th century. The cello as we know it today, evolved from the viola da gamba, which translates to 'viol of the legs', as it was held between the knees.

The clarinet first appeared in about 1690-1700. Its origins are rooted in an older instrument - the chalumeau. The Chalumeau was a single-reed wooden instrument used by shepherds and was very difficult to play in tune. Although no Chalumeau survives today, it is said to have looked like a recorder, with its sound similar to the lower octave of the modern clarinet. The clarinet is the most recent addition to the woodwind family, which includes the bassoon, flute, oboe and piccolo. It became the last woodwind instrument to be included in the symphonic orchestra, introduced in the latter half of the 18th century.

Historically, musical ensembles were led by either the keyboardist or the principal violinist of the group. As chamber groups developed into orchestras, it became harder for all the musicians to see the leader, and the need for an individual to guide everyone arose. Early conductors would use a roll of paper or a long staff to create steady beats for the orchestra to follow. The baton that is used for conducting today became popular in the 19th century. As orchestras and their repertoire developed, the conductor’s function became to mediate between the ensemble, the piece of music and the audience.

The double bass is a descendant of the viola da gamba, which originated in 15th century Europe. It is the largest and lowest in pitch of the ‘violin’ family of instruments. The viola da gamba often had five or six strings, and some early double basses had three strings. Modern basses have four strings, and sometimes a fifth string or an attachment to allow for even lower notes.

The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments in existence. The earliest flutes were made of wood or animal bones. Flutes were held sideways either to the left or right, or straight down like recorders. The flute was an important instrument in almost every ancient culture and civilisation and continues to be so in today’s modern world.

The flute is one of the oldest musical instruments in existence. The earliest flutes were made of wood or animal bones. Flutes were held sideways either to the left or right, or straight down like recorders. The flute was an important instrument in almost every ancient culture and civilisation and continues to be so in today’s modern world.

The harp is one of the oldest musical instruments, and was developed from the hunting bow. Harps were played in Egypt and Mesopotamia from around 3000 B.C.

The frame harp had a straight column, and appeared in Western Europe in early medieval times. Over the next ten centuries, the harp evolved to include more strings, and pedals were added to enable the harpist to play in all musical keys.

In 1810, a double-action pedal harp was invented with seven pedals, and this style of harp is used most often in orchestras today.

Double reed instruments were found in Mesopotamia from about 3000 BC and later in the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. The oboe is a descendant of the 13th century shawm – a name used to describe an instrument played with a single or double reed. During the 17th century, the treble shawm evolved into the hoboy or hautboy. The Cor Anglais, or English horn, is a longer and lower pitched relation of the oboe. It has a beautiful and haunting sound.

The piano’s ancestors are the stringed instruments of 14th century Europe – the dulcimer, clavichord, spinet, virginal, clavecin, gravicembalo, and the harpsichord, which became popular in the 15th century.

Bartolomeo Crisofori’s newly invented ‘cembalo col piano e forte’ or ‘soft and loud keyboard instrument’, was the first to be able to produce a variety of soft and loud sounds. Over time, the name was shortened to ‘fortepiano’, then ‘pianoforte’, and now simply ‘piano’.

The ancestors to modern flutes and piccolos were recorders, which came in different sizes, from the small sopranino to the large bass recorder. The closest instrument at the time to the modern piccolo was the fife or ‘Swiss Flute’, which was used for sending messages to soldiers in the Swiss army.

A percussion instrument is one that is struck with the hand, a beater or a stick, or shaken to produce sound. Percussion instruments are generally divided into two groups: tuned and untuned percussion. Tuned percussion refers to instruments that contain a musical scale when struck, and untuned percussion has no definite note pitch and is generally used to create rhythmic patterns or keep a steady beat.

The saxophone is a single-reed woodwind instrument that was developed in 1841. Adolphe Sax, the saxophone’s inventor and namesake, redesigned the classic shawm and intended his new creation to combine elements of both woodwind and brass instruments. The instrument was originally called the bass horn and it was only after the instrument was reviewed in the French Journal des Debats that it was renamed the saxophone.

The trombone is a brass instrument closely related to the trumpet. Like the trumpet, also evolved from the buisine. The trombone as we know it, appeared in the mid-15th century, and was originally known as the ‘sackbut’, derived from the French words ‘saquer’ and ‘bouter’ meaning ‘pull’ and ‘draw’. It was the first instrument to have a moving slide. The name ‘trombone’ comes from the Italian word ‘tromba’ meaning ‘large trumpet’.

The trumpet is descended from the buisine, which is considered the precursor to all brass instruments. In the 15th century the straight tube of the buisine was reshaped into a double-coiled instrument that became known as the trumpet. Until the Renaissance, the trumpet was mostly used for signalling in war, for herding animals, and in churches. Innovation in metalwork led to the trumpet being used in musical performances. The Baroque era is considered a ‘golden age’ for the trumpet, with a variety of concertos, fanfares and sonatas written for it, and trumpet guilds receiving many privileges in royal courts.

The tuba is the largest of the brass instruments. Like the trumpet and trombone, the tuba is distantly related to the buisine, and the more recent serpent and ophicleide. The modern bass tuba was created in 1835 in Berlin, becoming one of the first valved brass instruments. In the latter half of the 19th century the bass tuba became commonplace in German orchestras.

The viola dates from the same period as the violin - the early to mid 16th century. The viola was first called the 'alto-tenor' violin, because the name ‘viola’ was used to refer to any Western bowed stringed instrument.