orchestration
Americannoun
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the composition or arrangement of music for performance by a band or orchestra, or the music so composed or arranged.
Holst's iconic musical portrayal of the planets and their astrological significance delights audiences with its rich orchestration and memorable melodies.
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the instruments used in such a composition or arrangement; instrumentation.
Handel's original orchestration was for strings and continuo with occasional trumpets and drums.
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the plans or planning necessary to arrange something or cause something to happen.
The book chronicles the Empress Dowager’s selection as a concubine and her orchestration of the coup that made her the de facto ruler of China.
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Computers. an automated series of processes to configure, coordinate, or manage computer systems, data, or software.
A successful cloud strategy requires orchestration of on-demand provisioning processes and coordination of cloud resources.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of orchestration
First recorded in 1830–40; orchestrat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Warm lyrical melodies glide across orchestration dappled with glistening chimes, or on engines of snare drums and heroic brass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
The former James Bond actor credits screenwriter Jez Butterworth for the "orchestration" of his "clever" plot development.
From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026
Produced with outlaw-country superstar Shooter Jennings, Twin Temple nails the midcentury “countrypolitan” mood when the genre adapted to pop and took on elements of R&B, rock and orchestration.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
The answer to that may be an orchestration layer like Copilot, Luria believes.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
What is different, and new, about this movement is not its structure, orchestration or technical bravado, but its attitude.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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