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82-515: It was founded in 1925 by Walter Wehle Naumburg, a wealthy amateur cellist and son of noted New York City music patron and philanthropist Elkan Naumburg . Elkan Naumburg, owner of the eminent Wall Street bank E. Naumburg & Co., founded the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts in 1905. The concerts were originally performed at the bandstand on the concert ground of New York's Central Park , and starting in 1923 were performed in

164-430: A pegbox and the scroll , which are all normally carved out of a single piece of wood, usually maple . The fingerboard is glued to the neck and extends over the body of the instrument. The fingerboard is given a curved shape, matching the curve on the bridge. Both the fingerboard and bridge need to be curved so that the performer can bow individual strings. If the cello were to have a flat fingerboard and bridge, as with

246-427: A pipa as the main solo instrument to create East meets West progressive (folk) rock. More recent bands who have used the cello include Clean Bandit , Aerosmith , The Auteurs , Nirvana , Oasis , Ra Ra Riot , Smashing Pumpkins , James , Talk Talk , Phillip Phillips , OneRepublic , Electric Light Orchestra and the baroque rock band Arcade Fire . An Atlanta-based trio, King Richard's Sunday Best, also uses

328-613: A Cello Concerto in F major, K. 206a in 1775, but this has since been lost. His Sinfonia Concertante in A major, K. 320e includes a solo part for cello, along with the violin and viola, although this work is incomplete and only exists in fragments, therefore it is given an Anhang number (Anh. 104). Well-known works of the Romantic era include the Robert Schumann Concerto , the Antonín Dvořák Concerto ,

410-454: A Minneapolis-based cello duo with two percussionists. These groups are examples of a style that has become known as cello rock . The crossover string quartet Bond also includes a cellist. Silenzium and Cellissimo Quartet are Russian (Novosibirsk) groups playing rock and metal and having more and more popularity in Siberia . Cold Fairyland from Shanghai , China is using a cello along with

492-830: A cash prize and two recital appearances in Alice Tully Hall . Other opportunities include a recording project, a commission (to be premiered in one of the Alice Tully Hall recitals) and many performance opportunities throughout the United States. Previous winners of the International Naumburg Competition include Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg , Elmar Oliveira , Dawn Upshaw , Robert Mann , Adele Marcus , Jorge Bolet , Kun-Woo Paik , Leonidas Kavakos , Abbey Simon , William Kapell , Stephen Hough , and Harvey Shapiro . Winners of

574-535: A cellist in their lineup. So-called "chamber pop" artists like Kronos Quartet , The Vitamin String Quartet and Margot and the Nuclear So and So's have also recently made cello common in modern alternative rock. Heavy metal band System of a Down has also made use of the cello's rich sound. The indie rock band The Stiletto Formal are known for using a cello as a major staple of their sound; similarly,

656-513: A cello bow. In 1989, the German cellist Michael Bach began developing a curved bow , encouraged by John Cage , Dieter Schnebel , Mstislav Rostropovich and Luigi Colani : and since then many pieces have been composed especially for it. This curved bow ( BACH.Bow ) is a convex curved bow which, unlike the ordinary bow, renders possible polyphonic playing on the various strings of the instrument. The solo repertoire for violin and cello by J. S. Bach

738-529: A cello ensemble, with four cellos playing the top lines and two violas playing the bass lines. As a self-sufficient ensemble, its most famous repertoire is Heitor Villa-Lobos ' first of his Bachianas Brasileiras for cello ensemble (the fifth is for soprano and 8 cellos). Other examples are Offenbach 's cello duets, quartet, and sextet, Pärt 's Fratres for eight cellos and Boulez ' Messagesquisse for seven cellos, or even Villa-Lobos' rarely played Fantasia Concertante (1958) for 32 cellos. The 12 cellists of

820-399: A cello to the oboe's 440 Hz A note or tuning the cello to a piano. The endpin or spike is made of wood, metal, or rigid carbon fiber and supports the cello in playing position. The endpin can be retracted into the hollow body of the instrument when the cello is being transported in its case. This makes the cello easier to move about. When the performer wishes to play the cello, the endpin

902-522: A group of cellists committed to an intricate cello style intermingled with Gothic music; the Massive Violins , an ensemble of seven singing cellists known for their arrangements of rock, pop and classical hits; Von Cello, a cello-fronted rock power trio; Break of Reality , who mix elements of classical music with the more modern rock and metal genre; Cello Fury , a cello rock band that performs original rock/classical crossover music; and Jelloslave,

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984-410: A melodic role as well), as well as being part of many other chamber groups. Among the most well-known Baroque works for the cello are Johann Sebastian Bach 's six unaccompanied Suites . Other significant works include Sonatas and Concertos by Antonio Vivaldi , and solo sonatas by Francesco Geminiani and Giovanni Bononcini . Domenico Gabrielli was one of the first composers to treat the cello as

1066-575: A performance scholarship for cello, played a prominent cello part in "As You Said" on Cream 's Wheels of Fire studio album (1968). In the 1970s, the Electric Light Orchestra enjoyed great commercial success taking inspiration from so-called "Beatlesque" arrangements, adding the cello (and violin) to the standard rock combo line-up and in 1978 the UK-based rock band Colosseum II collaborated with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber on

1148-423: A popular misconception, the cello did not evolve from the viola da gamba, but existed alongside it for about two and a half centuries. The violin family is also known as the viola da braccio (meaning viola for the arm) family, a reference to the primary way the members of the family are held. This is to distinguish it from the viola da gamba (meaning viola for the leg) family, in which all the members are all held with

1230-441: A prominent extent. In Indian classical music, Saskia Rao-de Haas is a well-established soloist as well as playing duets with her sitarist husband, Pt. Shubhendra Rao . Other cellists performing Indian classical music are Nancy Lesh (Dhrupad) and Anup Biswas. Both Rao and Lesh play the cello sitting cross-legged on the floor. The cello can also be used in bluegrass and folk music , with notable players including Ben Sollee of

1312-402: A rounded corner like that of a viola bow, but is wider. A cello bow is roughly 10 g (0.35 oz) heavier than a viola bow, which in turn is roughly 10 g (0.35 oz) heavier than a violin bow. Bow hair is traditionally horsehair , though synthetic hair, in varying colors, is also used. Prior to playing, the musician tightens the bow by turning a screw to pull the frog (the part of

1394-409: A solid wooden cylinder which is wedged between the top and bottom plates. The bass bar, found under the bass foot of the bridge, serves to support the cello's top and distribute the vibrations from the strings to the body of the instrument. The soundpost, found under the treble side of the bridge, connects the back and front of the cello. Like the bridge, the soundpost is not glued but is kept in place by

1476-460: A solo (before 1753), dates from this era. As the title of the work suggests, it contains 12 toccatas for solo cello, which along with Johann Sebastian Bach's Cello Suites, are some of the first works of that type. From the Classical era , the two concertos by Joseph Haydn in C major and D major stand out, as do the five sonatas for cello and pianoforte of Ludwig van Beethoven , which span

1558-629: A solo cellist accompanied by an entire orchestra. There are numerous cello concertos – where a solo cello is accompanied by an orchestra – notably 25 by Vivaldi , 12 by Boccherini, at least three by Haydn , three by C. P. E. Bach, two by Saint-Saëns , two by Dvořák, and one each by Robert Schumann, Lalo , and Elgar. There were also some composers who, while not otherwise cellists, did write cello-specific repertoire, such as Nikolaus Kraft , who wrote six cello concertos. Beethoven 's Triple Concerto for Cello, Violin and Piano and Brahms ' Double Concerto for Cello and Violin are also part of

1640-654: A solo instrument, the cello uses its whole range, from baritone to soprano, and in chamber music, such as string quartets and the orchestra 's string section , it often plays the bass part, where it may be reinforced an octave lower by the double basses . Figured bass music of the Baroque era typically assumes a cello, viola da gamba or bassoon as part of the basso continuo group alongside chordal instruments such as organ , harpsichord , lute , or theorbo . Cellos are found in many other ensembles, from modern Chinese orchestras to cello rock bands. The name cello

1722-434: A solo instrument. As a basso continuo instrument the cello may have been used in works by Francesca Caccini (1587–1641), Barbara Strozzi (1619–1677) with pieces such as Il primo libro di madrigali, per 2–5 voci e basso continuo, op. 1 and Elisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre (1665–1729), who wrote six sonatas for violin and basso continuo. Francesco Supriani 's Principij da imparare a suonare il violoncello e con 12 Toccate

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1804-472: A thin gut core), c.  1660 in Bologna , allowed for a finer bass sound than was possible with purely gut strings on such a short body. This instrument had disadvantages as well, however. The cello's light sound was not as suitable for church and ensemble playing, so it had to be doubled by organ , theorbo , or violone . Around 1700, Italian players popularized the cello in northern Europe, although

1886-463: A typical guitar, the performer would only be able to bow the leftmost and rightmost two strings or bow all the strings. The performer would not be able to play the inner two strings alone. The nut is a raised piece of wood, fitted where the fingerboard meets the pegbox, in which the strings rest in shallow slots or grooves to keep them the correct distance apart. The pegbox houses four tapered tuning pegs , one for each string. The pegs are used to tune

1968-402: A violin sonata, transcribed by Jules Delsart with the composer's approval), Stravinsky 's Suite italienne (transcribed by the composer – with Gregor Piatigorsky – from his ballet Pulcinella ) and Bartók 's first rhapsody (also transcribed by the composer, originally for violin and piano). There are pieces for cello solo , Johann Sebastian Bach 's six Suites for Cello (which are among

2050-492: Is a member of the traditional string quartet as well as string quintets , sextet or trios and other mixed ensembles. There are also pieces written for two, three, four, or more cellos; this type of ensemble is also called a "cello choir" and its sound is familiar from the introduction to Rossini 's William Tell Overture as well as Zaccharia's prayer scene in Verdi 's Nabucco . Tchaikovsky 's 1812 Overture also starts with

2132-879: Is becoming well known for playing the cello like a guitar, with her cover of The Beatles ' " Blackbird ". The cello is typically made from carved wood, although other materials such as carbon fiber or aluminum may be used. A traditional cello has a spruce top, with maple for the back, sides, and neck. Other woods, such as poplar or willow , are sometimes used for the back and sides. Less expensive cellos frequently have tops and backs made of laminated wood . Laminated cellos are widely used in elementary and secondary school orchestras and youth orchestras , because they are much more durable than carved wood cellos (i.e., they are less likely to crack if bumped or dropped) and they are much less expensive. The top and back are traditionally hand-carved, though less expensive cellos are often machine-produced. The sides, or ribs, are made by heating

2214-559: Is derived from the ending of the Italian violoncello , which means "little violone ". Violone ("big viola") was a large-sized member of viol (viola da gamba) family or the violin ( viola da braccio ) family. The term "violone" today usually refers to the lowest-pitched instrument of the viols, a family of stringed instruments that went out of fashion around the end of the 17th century in most countries except England and, especially, France, where they survived another half-century before

2296-451: Is located on stage left (the audience's right) in the front, opposite the first violin section. However, some orchestras and conductors prefer switching the positioning of the viola and cello sections. The principal cellist is the section leader, determining bowings for the section in conjunction with other string principals, playing solos, and leading entrances (when the section begins to play its part). Principal players always sit closest to

2378-520: Is much harder and more expensive. Ebonized parts such as tuning pegs may crack or split, and the black surface of the fingerboard will eventually wear down to reveal the lighter wood underneath. Historically, cello strings had cores made out of catgut , which, despite its name, is made from sheep or goat intestines. Most modern strings used in the 2010s are wound with metallic materials like aluminum , titanium and chromium . Cellists may mix different types of strings on their instruments. The pitches of

2460-401: Is not glued but rather held in place by the tension of the strings. The bridge is usually positioned by the cross point of the "f-hole" (i.e., where the horizontal line occurs in the "f"). The f-holes , named for their shape, are located on either side of the bridge and allow air to move in and out of the instrument as part of the sound-production process. The f-holes also act as access points to

2542-458: Is pulled out to lengthen it. The endpin is locked into the player's preferred length with a screw mechanism. The adjustable nature of endpins enables performers of different ages and body sizes to adjust the endpin length to suit them. In the Baroque period, the cello was held between the calves, as there was no endpin at that time. The endpin was "introduced by Adrien Servais c. 1845 to give

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2624-626: Is to bring the instrument in for a particular song. In the 1960s, artists such as the Beatles and Cher used the cello in popular music, in songs such as The Beatles' " Yesterday ", " Eleanor Rigby " and " Strawberry Fields Forever ", and Cher's " Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) ". " Good Vibrations " by the Beach Boys includes the cello in its instrumental ensemble, which includes a number of instruments unusual for this sort of music. Bass guitarist Jack Bruce , who had originally studied music on

2706-563: The American Music Awards . The instrument has also been modified for Indian classical music by Nancy Lesh and Saskia Rao-de Haas . The violin family , including cello-sized instruments, emerged c.  1500 as a family of instruments distinct from the viola da gamba family. The earliest depictions of the violin family, from Italy c.  1530 , show three sizes of instruments, roughly corresponding to what we now call violins , violas , and cellos. Contrary to

2788-713: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (or "the Twelve" as they have since taken to being called) specialize in this repertoire and have commissioned many works, including arrangements of well-known popular songs. The cello is less common in popular music than in classical music. Several bands feature a cello in their standard line-up, including Hoppy Jones of the Ink Spots and Joe Kwon of the Avett Brothers . The more common use in pop and rock

2870-630: The Naumburg Bandshell at the same location. The Naumburg Competition is one of the oldest and most prestigious music competitions in the world. The website San Francisco Classical Voice writes that "the Naumburg Competition has one of the best track records of selecting young musicians who, in short order, build significant careers". The first competition was held in 1926. In an open audition format, pianists , violinists , and cellists were all eligible to compete. In 1928 it

2952-577: The Sparrow Quartet and the "Cajun cellist" Sean Grissom, as well as Vyvienne Long , who, in addition to her own projects, has played for those of Damien Rice . Cellists such as Natalie Haas , Abby Newton, and Liz Davis Maxfield have contributed significantly to the use of cello playing in Celtic folk music, often with the cello featured as a primary melodic instrument and employing the skills and techniques of traditional fiddle playing. Lindsay Mac

3034-480: The viola da gamba , the cello is actually part of the viola da braccio family, meaning "viol of the arm", which includes, among others, the violin and viola . Though paintings like Bruegel 's "The Rustic Wedding", and Jambe de Fer in his Epitome Musical suggest that the bass violin had alternate playing positions , these were short-lived and the more practical and ergonomic a gamba position eventually replaced them entirely. Baroque -era cellos differed from

3116-471: The violin family . Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths : from low to high, C 2 , G 2 , D 3 and A 3 . The viola 's four strings are each an octave higher. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef , tenor clef, alto clef and treble clef used for higher-range passages. Played by a cellist or violoncellist , it enjoys a large solo repertoire with and without accompaniment , as well as numerous concerti . As

3198-404: The 20th century, the cello repertoire grew immensely. This was partly due to the influence of virtuoso cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who inspired, commissioned, and premiered dozens of new works. Among these, Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto , Britten 's Cello Symphony , the concertos of Shostakovich and Lutosławski as well as Dutilleux's Tout un monde lointain... have already become part of

3280-528: The BACH.Bow is particularly suited to it: and it was developed with this in mind, polyphonic playing being required, as well as monophonic. List of cellists A person who plays the cello is called a cellist. This list of notable cellists is divided into four categories: 1) Living Classical Cellists ; 2) Non-Classical Cellists ; 3) Deceased Classical Cellists ; 4) Deceased Non-Classical Cellists . The cello (/ˈtʃɛloʊ/ chel-oh; plural cellos or celli)

3362-850: The Cello Sonata in C Minor written in 1880) by Dame Ethel Smyth (1858–1944), Edward Elgar 's Cello Concerto in E minor , Claude Debussy 's Sonata for Cello and Piano , and unaccompanied cello sonatas by Zoltán Kodály and Paul Hindemith . Pieces including cello were written by American Music Center founder Marion Bauer (1882–1955) (two trio sonatas for flute, cello, and piano) and Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901–1953) (Diaphonic suite No. 2 for bassoon and cello). The cello's versatility made it popular with many composers in this era, such as Sergei Prokofiev , Dmitri Shostakovich , Benjamin Britten , György Ligeti , Witold Lutoslawski and Henri Dutilleux . Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–1969)

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3444-649: The Chamber Music Award include the American, Brentano , Miro , and Muir string quartets, and the Eroica Trio . Cellist The violoncello ( / ˌ v aɪ ə l ə n ˈ tʃ ɛ l oʊ / VY -ə-lən- CHEL -oh , Italian pronunciation: [vjolonˈtʃɛllo] ), normally simply abbreviated as cello ( / ˈ tʃ ɛ l oʊ / CHEL -oh ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit ) string instrument of

3526-462: The Disco uses a cello in their song "Build God, Then We'll Talk", with lead vocalist Brendon Urie recording the cello solo himself. The Lumineers added cellist Nela Pekarek to the band in 2010. Radiohead makes frequent use of cello in their music, notably for the songs "Burn The Witch" and "Glass Eyes" in 2016. In jazz , bassists Oscar Pettiford and Harry Babasin were among the first to use

3608-399: The apostrophe indicating the missing stem. It is now customary to use "cello" without apostrophe as the full designation. Viol is derived from the root viola , which was derived from Medieval Latin vitula , meaning stringed instrument. Cellos are tuned in fifths , starting with C 2 (two octaves below middle C ), followed by G 2 , D 3 , and then A 3 . It is tuned in

3690-419: The audience. The cellos are a critical part of orchestral music; all symphonic works involve the cello section, and many pieces require cello soli or solos. Much of the time, cellos provide part of the low-register harmony for the orchestra. Often, the cello section plays the melody for a brief period, before returning to the harmony role. There are also cello concertos , which are orchestral pieces that feature

3772-525: The bass violin (basse de violon) continued to be used for another two decades in France. Many existing bass violins were literally cut down in size to convert them into cellos according to the smaller pattern developed by Stradivarius , who also made a number of old pattern large cellos (the 'Servais'). The sizes, names, and tunings of the cello varied widely by geography and time. The size was not standardized until c.  1750 . Despite similarities to

3854-498: The best-known solo cello pieces), Kodály 's Sonata for Solo Cello and Britten's three Cello Suites . Other notable examples include Hindemith 's and Ysaÿe 's Sonatas for Solo Cello, Dutilleux's Trois Strophes sur le Nom de Sacher , Berio's Les Mots Sont Allés , Cassadó 's Suite for Solo Cello, Ligeti's Solo Sonata , Carter's two Figment s and Xenakis ' Nomos Alpha and Kottos . There are also modern solo pieces written for cello, such as Julie-O by Mark Summer . The cello

3936-617: The bow under the hand) back and increase the tension of the hair. Rosin is applied by the player to make the hair sticky. Bows need to be re-haired periodically. Baroque -style (1600–1750) cello bows were much thicker and were formed with a larger outward arch than modern cello bows. The inward arch of a modern cello bow produces greater tension, which in turn produces a louder sound. The cello bow has also been used to play electric guitars . Jimmy Page pioneered its application on tracks such as " Dazed and Confused ". The post-rock Icelandic band Sigur Rós 's lead singer often plays guitar using

4018-407: The calves of the player. Modern bows curve in and are held at the frog ; Baroque bows curve out and are held closer to the bow's point of balance. Modern strings are normally flatwound with a metal (or synthetic) core; Baroque strings are made of gut , with the G and C strings wire-wound. Modern cellos often have fine tuners connecting the strings to the tailpiece, which makes it much easier to tune

4100-719: The cello as a solo instrument; both tuned their instruments in fourths, an octave above the double bass. Fred Katz (who was not a bassist) was one of the first notable jazz cellists to use the instrument's standard tuning and arco technique. Contemporary jazz cellists include Abdul Wadud , Diedre Murray , Ron Carter , Dave Holland , David Darling , Lucio Amanti , Akua Dixon , Ernst Reijseger , Fred Lonberg-Holm , Tom Cora and Erik Friedlander . Modern musical theatre pieces like Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years , Duncan Sheik's Spring Awakening , Adam Guettel's Floyd Collins , and Ricky Ian Gordon's My Life with Albertine use small string ensembles (including solo cellos) to

4182-534: The cello by either tightening or loosening the string. The pegs are called "friction pegs", because they maintain their position by friction. The scroll is a traditional ornamental part of the cello and a feature of all other members of the violin family . Ebony is usually used for the tuning pegs, fingerboard, and nut, but other hardwoods, such as boxwood or rosewood , can be used. Black fittings on low-cost instruments are often made from inexpensive wood that has been blackened or "ebonized" to look like ebony , which

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4264-480: The cello existed before the 18th century and those that do exist contain little value to the performer beyond simple accounts of instrumental technique. One of the earliest cello manuals is Michel Corrette 's Méthode, thèorique et pratique pour apprendre en peu de temps le violoncelle dans sa perfection (Paris, 1741). Cellos are part of the standard symphony orchestra , which usually includes eight to twelve cellists. The cello section, in standard orchestral seating,

4346-419: The cello from slipping on the floor. Many cellists use a rubber pad with a metal cup to keep the tip from slipping on the floor. A number of accessories exist to keep the endpin from slipping; these include ropes that attach to the chair leg and other devices. The bridge holds the strings above the cello and transfers their vibrations to the top of the instrument and the soundpost inside (see below). The bridge

4428-416: The concertante repertoire, although in both cases the cello shares solo duties with at least one other instrument. Moreover, several composers wrote large-scale pieces for cello and orchestra, which are concertos in all but name. Some familiar "concertos" are Richard Strauss ' tone poem Don Quixote , Tchaikovsky 's Variations on a Rococo Theme , Bloch 's Schelomo and Bruch 's Kol Nidrei . In

4510-425: The exact same intervals and strings as the viola , but an octave lower. Similar to the double bass , the cello has an endpin that rests on the floor to support the instrument's weight. The cello is most closely associated with European classical music . The instrument is a part of the standard orchestra , as part of the string section , and is the bass voice of the string quartet (although many composers give it

4592-597: The first Camille Saint-Saëns Concerto , as well as the two sonatas and the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms . A review of compositions for cello in the Romantic era must include the German composer Fanny Mendelssohn (1805–1847), who wrote Fantasia in G Minor for cello and piano and a Capriccio in A-flat for cello. Compositions from the late 19th and early 20th century include three cello sonatas (including

4674-462: The format of the competition was changed into a professional competition with a single winner, for one particular discipline. In 1965, the competition was expanded to include chamber music ensembles. Since the early 1970s, the Naumburg Competition has generally rotated three different categories – piano, strings, and voice – on a triennial basis (although there have also been competitions for flute , clarinet , and classical guitar ). Winners receive

4756-421: The important three periods of his compositional evolution. Other outstanding examples include the three Concerti by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach , Capricci by dall'Abaco, and Sonatas by Flackton, Boismortier, and Luigi Boccherini . A Divertimento for Piano, Clarinet, Viola and Cello is among the surviving works by Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1739–1807). Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart supposedly wrote

4838-428: The indie rock band Canada employs two cello players in their lineup. The orch-rock group The Polyphonic Spree , which has pioneered the use of stringed and symphonic instruments, employs the cello in creative ways for many of their " psychedelic -esque" melodies. The first-wave screamo band I Would Set Myself On Fire For You featured a cello as well as a viola to create a more folk -oriented sound. The band Panic! at

4920-411: The instrument greater stability". Modern endpins are retractable and adjustable; older ones were removed when not in use. (The word "endpin" sometimes also refers to the button of wood located at this place in all instruments in the violin family, but this is usually called "tailpin". ) The sharp tip of the cello's endpin is sometimes capped with a rubber tip that protects the tip from dulling and prevents

5002-408: The instrument, but such pins are rendered ineffective by the flexibility of the gut strings used on Baroque cellos. Overall, the modern instrument has much higher string tension than the Baroque cello, resulting in a louder, more projecting tone, with fewer overtones. In addition, the instrument was less standardized in size and number of strings; a smaller, five-string variant (the violoncello piccolo)

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5084-426: The interior of the cello for repairs or maintenance. Sometimes a small length of rubber hose containing a water-soaked sponge, called a Dampit, is inserted through the f-holes and serves as a humidifier. This keeps the wood components of the cello from drying out. Internally, the cello has two important features: a bass bar , which is glued to the underside of the top of the instrument, and a round wooden sound post ,

5166-505: The legs. The likely predecessors of the violin family include the lira da braccio and the rebec . The earliest surviving cellos are made by Andrea Amati , the first known member of the celebrated Amati family of luthiers . The direct ancestor to the violoncello was the bass violin . Monteverdi referred to the instrument as "basso de viola da braccio" in Orfeo (1607). Although the first bass violin , possibly invented as early as 1538,

5248-402: The louder violin family came into greater favour in that country as well. In modern symphony orchestras, it is the second largest stringed instrument (the double bass is the largest). Thus, the name "violoncello" contained both the augmentative " -one " ("big") and the diminutive " -cello " ("little"). By the turn of the 20th century, it had become common to shorten the name to 'cello, with

5330-493: The lower part of the cello. The tailpiece is the part of the cello to which the "ball ends" of the strings are attached by passing them through holes. The tailpiece is attached to the bottom of the cello. The tailpiece is traditionally made of ebony or another hardwood, but can also be made of plastic or steel on lower-cost instruments. It attaches the strings to the lower end of the cello and can have one or more fine tuners. The fine tuners are used to make smaller adjustments to

5412-421: The modern instrument in several ways. The neck has a different form and angle, which matches the baroque bass-bar and stringing. The fingerboard is usually shorter than that of the modern cello, as the highest notes are not often called for in baroque music. Modern cellos have an endpin at the bottom to support the instrument (and transmit some of the sound through the floor), while Baroque cellos are held only by

5494-417: The open strings are C, G, D, and A (black note heads in the playing range figure above), unless alternative tuning ( scordatura ) is specified by the composer. Some composers (e.g. Ottorino Respighi in the final movement of The Pines of Rome ) ask that the low C be tuned down to a B-flat so that the performer can play a different low note on the lowest open string. The tailpiece and endpin are found in

5576-419: The pitch of the string. The fine tuners can increase the tension of each string (raising the pitch) or decrease the tension of the string (lowering the pitch). When the performer is putting on a new string, the fine tuner for that string is normally reset to a middle position, and then the peg is turned to bring the string up to pitch. The fine turners are used for subtle, minor adjustments to pitch, such as tuning

5658-416: The preferences of their teacher. Bows are also made from other materials, such as carbon fibre—stronger than wood—and fiberglass (often used to make inexpensive, lower-quality student bows). An average cello bow is 73 cm (29 in) long (shorter than a violin or viola bow) 3 cm (1.2 in) high (from the frog to the stick) and 1.5 cm (0.59 in) wide. The frog of a cello bow typically has

5740-422: The recording Variations . Most notably, Pink Floyd included a cello solo in their 1970 epic instrumental " Atom Heart Mother ". Bass guitarist Mike Rutherford of Genesis was originally a cellist and included some cello parts in their Foxtrot album. Established non-traditional cello groups include Apocalyptica , a group of Finnish cellists best known for their versions of Metallica songs; Rasputina ,

5822-417: The removal of the top. Theoretically, hide glue is weaker than the body's wood, so as the top or back shrinks side-to-side, the glue holding it lets go and the plate does not crack. Cellists repairing cracks in their cello do not use regular wood glue , because it cannot be steamed open when a repair has to be made by a luthier . Traditionally, bows are made from pernambuco or brazilwood . Both come from

5904-789: The rim of the instrument but spreads no further. Without purfling, cracks can spread up or down the top or back. Playing, traveling and the weather all affect the cello and can increase a crack if purfling is not in place. The fingerboard and pegs on a cello are generally made from ebony , as it is strong and does not wear out easily. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) as well as German luthier G.A. Pfretzschner produced an unknown number of aluminum cellos (in addition to aluminum double basses and violins). Cello manufacturer Luis & Clark constructs cellos from carbon fibre . Carbon fibre instruments are particularly suitable for outdoor playing because of

5986-411: The same species of tree ( Caesalpinia echinata ), but Pernambuco, used for higher-quality bows, is the heartwood of the tree and is darker in color than brazilwood (which is sometimes stained to compensate). Pernambuco is a heavy, resinous wood with great elasticity, which makes it an ideal wood for instrument bows. Horsehair is stretched out between the two ends of the bow. The taut horsehair is drawn over

6068-921: The standard repertoire. Other major composers who wrote concertante works for him include Messiaen , Jolivet , Berio , and Penderecki . In addition, Arnold , Barber , Glass , Hindemith , Honegger , Ligeti, Myaskovsky , Penderecki, Rodrigo , Villa-Lobos and Walton wrote major concertos for other cellists, notably for Gaspar Cassadó , Aldo Parisot , Gregor Piatigorsky, Siegfried Palm and Julian Lloyd Webber . There are also many sonatas for cello and piano . Those written by Beethoven , Mendelssohn , Chopin , Brahms , Grieg , Rachmaninoff , Debussy , Fauré , Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Poulenc , Carter , and Britten are particularly well known. Other important pieces for cello and piano include Schumann's five Stücke im Volkston and transcriptions like Schubert 's Arpeggione Sonata (originally for arpeggione and piano), César Franck 's Cello Sonata (originally

6150-404: The strength of the material and its resistance to humidity and temperature fluctuations. Luis & Clark has produced over 1000 cellos, some of which are owned by cellists such as Yo-Yo Ma and Josephine van Lier . Above the main body is the carved neck. The neck has a curved cross-section on its underside, which is where the player's thumb runs along the neck during playing. The neck leads to

6232-410: The strings, while being held roughly parallel to the bridge and perpendicular to the strings, to produce sound. A small knob is twisted to increase or decrease the tension of the horsehair. The tension on the bow is released when the instrument is not being used. The amount of tension a cellist puts on the bow hair depends on the preferences of the player, the style of music being played, and for students,

6314-435: The tensions of the bridge and strings. Together, the bass bar and sound post transfer the strings' vibrations to the top (front) of the instrument (and to a lesser extent the back), acting as a diaphragm to produce the instrument's sound. Cellos are constructed and repaired using hide glue , which is strong but reversible, allowing for disassembly when needed. Tops may be glued on with diluted glue since some repairs call for

6396-418: The wood and bending it around forms. The cello body has a wide top bout, narrow middle formed by two C-bouts, and wide bottom bout, with the bridge and F holes just below the middle. The top and back of the cello have a decorative border inlay known as purfling . While purfling is attractive, it is also functional: if the instrument is struck, the purfling can prevent cracking of the wood. A crack may form at

6478-484: Was commonly used as a solo instrument and five-string instruments are occasionally specified in the Baroque repertoire. BWV 1012 (Bach's 6th Cello Suite) was written for 5 string Cello but since its additional High E String is an Octave below the same string on the Violin, anything written for the Violin can be played on the 5 string Cello, sounding an Octave lower than written. Few educational works specifically devoted to

6560-592: Was expanded to include vocalists . The prize included cash awards and the opportunity to play concerts in New York's Town Hall , which virtually insured reviews by New York's most influential music critics. In 1946, Aaron Copland and William Schuman joined the Naumburg Foundation board of directors, and shortly afterwards the Foundation began awarding composers with recording projects. In 1961,

6642-457: Was most likely inspired by the viol, it was created to be used in consort with the violin. The bass violin was actually often referred to as a " violone ", or "large viola", as were the viols of the same period. Instruments that share features with both the bass violin and the viola da gamba appear in Italian art of the early 16th century. The invention of wire-wound strings (fine wire around

6724-564: Was writing for cello in the mid 20th century with Concerto No. 1 for Cello and Orchestra (1951), Concerto No. 2 for Cello and Orchestra (1963) and in 1964 composed her Quartet for four cellos. In the 2010s, the instrument is found in popular music , but was more commonly used in 1970s pop and disco music. Today it is sometimes featured in pop and rock recordings, examples of which are noted later in this article. The cello has also appeared in major hip-hop and R & B performances, such as singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo 's 2007 performance at

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