1703 N. Tate Portrait-royal Notes 22 There must be, what Painters call, an agreement of the Tout Ensemble.

1750 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 12 Nov. (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1615 All these trifling things..collectively form that pleasing je ne sais quoi, that ensemble, which they are utter strangers to.

1782 T. Pownall Treat. Study Antiq. 81 The ensemble of the piece will be hid from us and unintelligible.

1802 M. Berry Jrnl. 16 Mar. (1866) II. 137 A long pas de deux was performed with such a perfect ensemble and precision, that [etc.].

1823 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto XIV xl. 135 The ‘tout ensemble’ of his movements wore a Grace.

1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek v. 108 One might almost call his ensemble slovenly to-day.

1855 H. Spencer Princ. Psychol. ii. viii. 180 The proportions of its body and limbs in their ensemble and details, are indistinguishable.

1879 J. Beerbohm Wanderings in Patagonia iii. 37 A shaggy beard and moustache completed the toutensemble of his really striking face.

1915 M. E. Perugini Art of Ballet iii. xxxiii. 293 There had hardly been, perhaps, quite that unity and perfection of ensemble which the coming of a dancer of superb technique made possible.

1927 Weekly Disp. 6 Nov. 16 A simple ensemble..in shades of brown.

1927 Weekly Disp. 6 Nov. 16 The afternoon ensemble is by no means dead.

1930 Daily Express 8 Sept. 5/5 White rabbit, brocade, velvet..add considerable chic to the evening ensemble.

1969 J. C. Penney Catal. Fall & Winter 105 A coat and dress ensemble made of Orlon acrylic knit.

1844 Musical Examiner 28 Sept. 809 It was really possible for five principal vocalists to achieve a perfect ensemble.

1880 G. Grove Dict. Music II. 659/2 A feeling of carelessness..which the conductor must be quick to detect lest the ensemble be marred thereby.

1915 Musical Q. 1 83 We must put up with ensemble when we want to talk of that part of music, which is produced by the co-operation of several performers.

1915 Musical Q. 1 83 Much care is required to secure a good ensemble in a vocal piece.

1927 Observer 27 Nov. 14/4 The ensemble between pianoforte and violoncello was good.

1929 Encycl. Brit. VIII. 616/2 The ‘ensemble numbers’ of an opera (trio, quartet and so forth). By extension the term is applied to the process of combining in this manner and to the skill with which it is accomplished. Thus in this sense it may be said that the ensemble of a choir or of a quartet was poor.

1934 S. R. Nelson All about Jazz iv. 71 His band can rank with the world's finest symphony orchestras in precision..and all those other attributes which go to make the finest musical ensembles.

1946 Penguin Music Mag. 1 20 The present management of Covent Garden..will cordially welcome occasional visits from complete foreign ensembles.

1947 A. Einstein Music Romantic Era xvi. 242 Here again are ensembles like the quintet at the end of the first half of the last act, even though it is no dramatic Mozartian ensemble.

1951 W. H. Auden & C. Kallman Rake's Progress iii. 45 At the end of the ensemble, the voices of Rakewell and Shadow are again heard from the street.

1970 N.Y. Times 8 Nov. 84/5 The New York Rock Ensemble.

1915 M. E. Perugini Art of Ballet iii. xxxiv. 303 ‘Ship Ahoy!’ a nautical one-scene divertissement... The final ensemble, when the lady passengers..danced beneath the soft glow of the swinging lanterns was a particularly novel, pretty and inspiriting picture.

1920 P. G. Wodehouse Little Warrior xi. 199 The ladies of the ensemble were changing their practise-clothes after a particularly strenuous rehearsal.

1922 H. de V. Beauclerk & N. Evrenov tr. ‘V. Svetlov’ Thamar Karsavina 61 Karsavina's rôle is..devoid of incident and overwhelmed by the too brilliant and confusing ensemble that surrounds her.

1930 T. Karsavina Theatre St. II. xvi. 213 The ensemble lagged; Fokine..suddenly..flew at me. ‘How can I blame the corps de ballet if the star herself gives a bad example.’

1933 A. G. Macdonell England, their England vii. 102 Complete with.. hand-made smocks for ye gaffers..and aluminium Eezi-Milk stools for the dairymaids (or Ladies of the Dancing Ensemble).

1936 A. L. Haskell Prelude to Ballet x. 50 Instead of one brilliant individual and a mechanical group in the background there must now be an ensemble of dance artists, whose function it is to interpret instead of merely being occupied in keeping time and keeping line.

1958 Times 11 Sept. 4/5 Lifar's opening Noir et Blanc made an impressive stage spectacle as it put the company through its paces in a series of testing solos and ensembles.