the.com/philharmonic
An orchestra with a fancier lawyer and a bigger donor gala.
means An orchestra or music society devoted to (classical) orchestral music, often baked right into its name to sound a notch grander.
from Built from Greek roots: 'phil-' (loving, fond of) plus 'harmonikos' (harmony, from 'harmonia'). So literally 'harmony-loving.' The word spread through Europe in the 18th century as music societies adopted it to brand themselves as devoted patrons of orchestral music — a label that stuck to orchestras themselves ever since.
- etymology
- greek for love of harmony, literally
- vs symphony
- name choice, not musical quality difference
- marketing move
- many orchestras just rebrand to sound grander
- famous case
- new york philharmonic, america's oldest orchestra, 1842