What's the difference between
and
Enter two words to compare and contrast their definitions, origins, and synonyms to better understand how those words are related.

Orchestra vs Opus - What's the difference?

orchestra | opus |

As nouns the difference between orchestra and opus

is that orchestra is (music) a large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group while opus is a work of music or set of works with a specified rank in an ordering of a composer's complete published works.

orchestra

English

(wikipedia orchestra)

Noun

(en noun)
  • (music) A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including some from strings, woodwind, brass and/or percussion; the instruments played by such a group.
  • A semicircular space in front of the stage used by the chorus in Ancient Greek and Hellenistic theatres.
  • The area in a theatre or concert hall where the musicians sit, immediately in front of and below the stage, sometimes (also) used by other performers.

    • Derived terms

    * orchestral * (orchestra types ) chamber orchestra, orchestra in residence, philharmonic orchestra, string orchestra, symphony orchestra

    Derived terms

    * orchestrate, orchestration * orchestrina, orchestrion

    Usage notes

    * In British English, "The orchestra are'' tuning up" is often used, implying the individual members. In the US, one would almost always hear "The orchestra ''is tuning up", implying a collective.

    Anagrams

    * ----

    opus

    English

    Noun

    (en-noun)
  • A work of music or set of works with a specified rank in an ordering of a composer's complete published works.
    • Beethoven's ''opus'' eighteen quartets are considered by many to be the beginning of the Romantic era.
  • A work, especially of art.
    • The painter's last opus was a dedication to all things living, in a surprising contrast to all of his prior work.

    Usage notes

    The most common plural of opus'' in English is ''opuses''. Some people use the Latin plural, ''opera''. ''Opi'' is fairly common in the field of classical music, though mostly in informal contexts. The use of any of these three pluralizations may result in the speaker being corrected, though ''opi'' above all should be avoided in formal contexts. Outside of music, the word ''opus'' sees particularly frequent use in the expression ''magnum opus .

    Anagrams

    * * English nouns with irregular plurals ----