Strings · Violin family
Cello
Tuned an octave below the viola and played seated, the cello covers bass lines, tenor melodies and singing high solos.
- Section
- Strings
- Family
- Violin family
- Classification
- Chordophone · bowed
- Transposition
- None (concert pitch)
- Clefs
- Bass, tenor, treble
- Sounding range
- C2 – C6
- Open strings
- C2 G2 D3 A3
Parts of the cello
Front and side view. Photo: Georg Feitscher, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
C1C2C3C4C5C6C7C8
Solo writing goes considerably higher. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the cello
- Reads bass clef, tenor clef for higher passages and treble clef for the highest notes.
- Thumb position lets cellists play high and fast passages.
- The A string is especially lyrical and carries well, even over a full orchestra.
- In orchestral writing the cellos often double the basses an octave higher, or take the melody in the tenor range.
History
The cello developed in Italy in the 16th century as the bass of the violin family. Early instruments were larger; Antonio Stradivari settled on a smaller pattern around 1710. The endpin became standard only in the later 19th century.
Listen
Key works featuring the cello. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Bach – Cello Suite No. 1, BWV 1007
- Dvořák – Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104
- Elgar – Cello Concerto in E minor
- Saint-Saëns – The Swan
Useful tools
Violin family
Ancestors:Bass violin