Northwest Focus word of the month: "symphony"Did you go to the symphony? Did they play a symphony? What's the difference between a "symphony" and an "orchestra"? Truth? Sometimes, there is none. "Seattle Symphony," for instance - that's an orchestra that makes its home downtown in Benaroya Hall. Seattle Symphony was once called "Seattle Symphony Orchestra," but it dropped that last word some years ago. In some cities, the biggest classical band in town is called "orchestra" (Philadelphia, Cleveland); in others, they've fallen for the word "Philharmonic" (New York, L.A.). You can recognize the word symphony's ancient roots - "sym" and "phon" - and know that they mean something about sounds happening together. What you might not recognize right off the bat is why any of this should matter. IN GOOD COMPANYOnce upon a time, centuries ago, the word "symphony" meant specific instruments - a drum that sounded more than one tone at a time, or a hand-cranked harmony box. Then, composers took the word and made it into a virtual box, so that a "symphony" came to be an art form, one that exists only when sound and time combine. They made up a system of symbols - musical notation - that musicians could use to bring that work of art to life.Over the centuries, the art form called "symphony" has morphed, from the jaunty, little, 10-minute "sinfonias" of Handel's day to the hour-plus plunges into psychological depths so favored by Freud's contemporaries. Here is what matters: Most of us will never undertake the work of composing, wrestling the idea of sound into an art form, but all of us appreciate the good company we find when sounds happen together in a certain way. Whether the music is jaunty or judicious, whether the orchestra is right there in the same room or playing through the radio, a symphony invites us listeners into a special kind of space-time.EXTENDING THE INVITATIONSeattle Symphony is hardly alone in extending that invitation around here. Our region is also home to some "orchestras" and "philharmonics." In fact, there's a thing called Tacoma Philharmonic that used to be an orchestra, but isn't anymore. That's one of those South Sound puzzles - like knowing that Federal Way is not a street - that can demonstrate the difference between the locals and the newly arrived. Tacoma Philharmonic is a presenter. They bring all kinds of talent to Tacoma's Pantages Theatre (including, sometimes, Seattle Symphony). Last month, it brought the Grammy-winning Eroica Trio; this month, it'll bring the fine Montreal group with the Italian name that just means "the musicians" - I Musici de Montreal - to play Pictures at an Exhibition. Meanwhile, there's the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra, which really is a Tacoma-based band of players, performing at the Pantages. There's a Philharmonia Northwest, based in Seattle, and a Seattle Philharmonic, too. Bellevue has its own Philharmonic. There's a Symphony in Everett and Auburn and Federal Way. And Tacoma and Seattle share the sweetly named Northwest Sinfonietta. A COLLABORATIONThere's nothing quite like live music, made at the moment when you hold your breath for the instrumentalist who just might miss that note. With the radio on, you can busy yourself with whatever other noises you need to make, but the concert hall is a collaboration: It's the room where your own noises count, too. (Turn off the cell phone! Silence the candy wrappers!) People tell me about a concert they're going to, and I've usually heard about it, as I host a radio show that plays, a few days in advance, some of the music and some of the performers appearing in concerts around town. I can tell you that all around us - from Everett to Olympia, Bellevue to Bremerton - the sonic ideas that the human imagination has conjured up are coming to life as hard-working performers make sounds together. When we get out and share that work with them in person, all of our Northwest lives become a little more focused. Next month's Northwest Focus word of the month: Concerto. Or is it concert? You're welcome to write me (gigiy@king.org) and suggest a word you'd like to explore here. Classical-music jargon is filled with words that can puzzle even the most literate of listeners - or the least literate, for that matter. And please join me for the music from 7 p.m. to midnight weeknights at 98.1 KING-FM, streaming at www.king.org. Our Northwest Focus music starts at 8 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]
