Salon Orchestra

Orchestras organized for performances of light music in cafés, cabarets, and houses of the rich. The minimal ensemble was the piano trio. The so-called Vienna type of salon orchestra consisted of a seated violinist, a standing violinist, and cello, flute, and percussion. The Berlin salon ensemble added the clarinet, cornet, trombone, viola, and double bass, while the Paris salon orchestra usually employed piano, violin, cello, flute, cornet, and drums.

Special editions were published for these orchestras to enable them to play light OVERTURES or dance SUITES in socalled "theater arrangements." Cues were inserted in the piano parts to replace the missing instruments.

Although SALON MUSIC was deprecated for its low taste, the salon orchestra performed a positive educational role, providing classical and semiclassical music in workable arrangements.