Sinfonia (Laurynas Zavistanavicius) Symphony comes from the Greek word symphonia, which can be broken down into syn “together” and phone “sound, voice” (Merriam-Webster). The Greeks used this term to refer to notes sounding in consonance, which contrasted with diaphonia or dissonance. In the Middle Ages, it referred to instruments that could play multiple notes simultaneously, such as the bagpipes or hurdy-gurdy. In the mid-sixteenth century, sinfonia referred to pieces written for instrumental ensembles of varying sizes, sometimes as pieces introducing vocal music. Monteverdi uses the the term sinfonia toward the beginning of his 1624 Combattimento for a short interlude for the strings. The term sinfonia throughout much of the seventeenth century had a broad usage, where it was used interchangeably with sonata and canzona to refer to an introductory piece within a larger context, such as an opera or a group of dances (Grove Music). As an introductory piece, a sinfonia was meant to create anticipation from the audience for what was to come next. Just before the mid-eighteenth century, Handel labeled the overture to Messiah “Sinfony.” Bach wrote many pieces he called sinfonia, such as the “overture” to Cantata, Christ lag in Todes Banden, BWV 4, or his three-part keyboard inventions, which he called sinfonie. These were like the two-part inventions but for three voices rather than two. During the eighteenth century, the term symphony gradually became stricter in meaning, implying a piece with a three movement fast-slow-fast structure. Only seven to eight percent of these were written in a minor key. The orchestra for which symphonies in the modern sense were written grew as the century progressed, starting with a four-part string ensemble and gradually adding winds and percussion. In the nineteenth century, symphonies became more elaborate, and varied from three to five movements, often in sonata form. At this time, symphonies were regarded as superior to other forms of music and the peak of a composer’s prowess. The instrumentation continued to grow more elaborate as the century progressed, and symphonies became louder, allowing for this music to reach a larger audience. By the mid-twentieth century, the symphonic form saw some decline and became less grandiose, typically due to financial challenges of rehearsing such large ensembles. The form also became more relaxed, with the number of movements varying even more.