The musical instrument that will be discussed in this article is not just a stringed bow instrument. A cello is an obligatory participant in any string ensemble and symphony orchestra, which is distinguished by a rich technique of performance. In music, the cello as an instrument with a rich and melodious sound is often used as a solo instrument. The cello is widely used to express sadness, despair, sadness and deep lyrics. There are no equal in this cello.
Place in music
If we compare it with very similar instruments, a violin and an alt, we can immediately note that they do not hold it in their hands, but put it upright. The violin and cello differ not only visually, but also have different sounds. It is noteworthy that initially they played the cello while standing vertically in a special chair; later, a spire resting on the floor was invented, which solved the problem of supporting the instrument.
Surprisingly, before Beethoven, composers did not attach much importance to the melodicity of this instrument. And with his light hand, the cello took a significant place in the work of romantics and other writers.
Sound features
A cello is an instrument with a rich, rich and soulful sound, similar to the low timbre of a human voice, it seems to come from the very depths of the soul. Sometimes during solo performances, she seems to be talking in a chant with her listeners ... The cello is an instrument with a truly bewitching deep sound.
Musical charm
The presence of a cello in music is necessary when it is important to emphasize the lyricism or tragedy of any moment.
Each of the four available strings in the cello has a special sound characteristic only for her. Low sounds reminiscent of male bass, the upper - a gentle and warm viola. It is this feature that creates the impression of not just sounding from the stage, but literally “talking” with your listeners. The cello sounding range covers an interval of five octaves from the “to” note of a large octave to the “e” note in the third. Often, however, due to his skill, the performer can take notes much higher.
The fifth cello is tuned.
Interesting Facts
The most expensive cello in the world is Stradivari Dupora, which was created in 1711 by the greatest master Antonio Stradivari. Duport was a brilliant cellist and owner of this masterpiece for many years until his death. The tool has minor damage - slight scratches. According to legend, they were left by the spurs of Napoleon. They say that the emperor marked the instrument when he tried to learn the skill of playing the cello, but awkwardly wrapped his legs around it.
During its “adventures” this cello for several years “lived” with the famous collector Baron Johann Knop. For thirty-three years M. Rostropovich played on it. There are rumors that after his death, the Japanese Music Association bought the instrument from relatives for twenty million, although this fact is stubbornly denied by both sides. There is an assumption that the instrument is still in the family of the musician.
The other two beauties of the cello from Stradivari began their journey at the Count of Villegorsky. Later, one of them was sold to Davydov K. Yu., Then she was at Jacqueline du Pré, and today it is played by the famous composer and cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
A stunning event among cellists is considered to be the original competition held in Paris. The great cellist Casals took part in it. The essence of the competition is the study of the sound of ancient instruments that have gone out of the hands of such masters as Stradivarius and Guarneri and modern factory cellos. After selection, the number of tools involved in the experiment was 12 pieces. In order to achieve maximum purity of the experiment, the light was turned off. However, after a listening, a shocking verdict was issued: it turned out that modern models gave odds to old models. The jury and Casals himself were really surprised at this choice of judges. It turned out that current cellos are instruments with greater beauty of sound. Nevertheless, Casals said that he is much prettier than old instruments, since “they have a soul” in contrast to modern callous beauty.
Tied to his instruments, cellist Pablo Casals loved to indulge his cello with original decorative solutions. So, in the bow of one of them, he inserted a sapphire, presented to him by the Queen of Spain.
Modern interpretation
Young performers from Finland Apocalyptika are very popular today. This group plays hard rock, but the highlight of the ensemble is that the entire repertoire consists of compositions played on four cellos and drums.
Before the appearance of this enchanting musical group, no one would have thought that the cello is capable of showing such passion, wildness and rampant. Due to its originality, the group has gained worldwide fame. It is noteworthy that the name of the group consists of two words Apocalypse and Metallica (the second word is not just present in the name - the creative team followed in the footsteps of a famous group and made a considerable number of covers for their works).
And Julia Bourdin, a famous abstraction artist, does not draw her paintings on paper or on traditional canvas. Her amazing paintings become part of violins and cellos. To depict a picture on an instrument, it needs to remove the strings, clean the surface, primer it and then only start applying paint to the drawing. This girl cannot explain what really attracts her so much in cellos. She says that they seem to attract her to themselves, inspiring with their view to create the next masterpiece.
Do you know that ...?
The Stuart cello was bought by musician Roldugin for $ 12 million. This tool was made by the hands of the master Stradivari in 1732. The first to whom he belonged was the Prussian king Frederick the Great.
Of course, the cost of cellos from Antonio Stradivari is the highest. In his entire life, he has made 80 tools. To date, according to experts, there are about 60 of them left.
The cello concerts at the Berlin Philharmonic include 12 instruments. The cellists of this orchestra became famous for adding a lot of arrangements to modern popular works to their repertoire.
Classical cello is made of wood. But some modern masters, for example, Louis and Clark, defying stereotypes, make their tools from carbon fiber. And the Alcoa company back in the 30s. of the last century began to produce aluminum cello. The German master Pfretzschner devoted himself to this business.
The St. Petersburg cellist ensemble, led by Olga Rudneva, is a rather unusual collaboration of instruments. This rare composition includes one grand piano and 8 cellos.
In December 2014, the South African Karel Henn was able to set a record for the duration of playing this instrument: his game lasted 26 hours in a row, for which he was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
The twentieth-century cello virtuoso, Mstislav Rostropovich, made a significant contribution to the promotion and development of the cello repertoire. It was he who first performed about a hundred new works for cello.
Among the famous cellos, the King instrument, made between 1538 and 1560, is also noted. Andre Amati. This cello is considered one of the oldest, and at the moment it is in the National Museum of Music in South Dakota.
This is now the cello come with four strings, and in the XVII-XVIII centuries in Germany and the Netherlands, these instruments were five-stringed.
Initially, cello strings were made from sheep's giblets, later they were replaced by practical metal ones.
Repertoire
The cello has a rich repertoire of sonatas, concerts, suites and so on. The most famous are six suites I.S. Bach for cello solo, rococo variations P.I. Tchaikovsky and the "Swan" Camille Saint-Saens.
Antonio Vivaldi has 25 concerts for cello, 12 for Boccherini, Haydn has written at least three, and Dvorak and Saint-Saens have composed two each. Bloch and Elgar also have cello concerts.
The most famous sonatas for cello and piano were works written by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Prokofiev, Pulenko, Shostakovich and Britten.
Great creators of cellos
Many masters tried to create the perfect cello, but few people know that the familiar form of cello now appeared for us only during Antonio Stradivarius. Prior to this, the very first cello was made by masters Paolo Magini and Gasparo Salo. Their tool was designed in the late sixteenth - early seventeenth centuries. It only remotely resembled a modern cello.
The classical form of the cello appeared thanks to the work of such masters as Antonio Stradivari and Nicolo Amati. They achieved an excellent combination of wood and varnish, so that each instrument acquired its own unique sound and manner of sounding. It is believed that each cello that came out of the workshop of Stradivarius and Amati had its own unique character.
Millionth Tools
To date, all Stradivarius cello are among the most expensive in the world. Experts call the price in millions of dollars.
Undoubtedly, Guarneri cello is considered recognizable in the world of music. Casals, by the way, preferred them. The cost of the tools of this wizard is much lower. If the price of Stradivarius masterpieces is calculated in numbers with six zeros, then the tool of this master costs from $ 200,000.
Crowding out competitors
Many people care about the reason for the stunning success of Stradivarius. Although the originality of sound, timbre, character of Stradivarius and Guarneri are similar, Stradivarius’s story is much more concise: they were created by only a few well-known masters, while Guarneri was replaced by dozens of manufacturers. During the life of Amati and Stradivarius gained world fame, and Guarneri became known only much after the death of their representatives.
Features
The notes for the cello are written in the range of the bass, tenor and treble clef according to the pitch. Her part in the orchestral score is located between viola and double bass. The cellist previously before the concert rubs the bow with rosin.
This is done to grip the hair with the string, which allows you to extract the desired sound. However, in no case, after musical performance, we must not forget about the removal of rosin from the instrument, as it spoils the wood and varnish. For sound quality depends on the fulfillment of this condition.
An interesting fact: each bowed instrument requires the use of its own type of rosin.