INSTRUMENTS IN THE ORCHESTRA:
(3) The Violoncello K
7 third of a series of short articles on the instruments of the Nationa! Orchestra, written to help interested listeners towards a more informed appreciation of orchestral music and a better understanding of the resources at the command of the conductor.
HE violoncello, or ’cello as it is more popularly known, is a direct descendant of the told viola da gamba, or bass viol.
which it broadly resembles and which (though not without a struggle) it supplanted in the orchestra. The sloping shoulders. of the viol have been rounded, the flat back has become arched, and instead of being gripped between the ees while being played, as was the case with the earlier ’cellos as well as with the bass viol, it
is rested on a_ long metal "peg" which can be retracted into the body of the instrument when not in use. The construction of the ’cello is the same as _ that of the violin, except that it is larger (about 48 inches in length), The bow is shorter and heavier. The instrument has a rich, powerful tone and has a wide range. of expression. It supplies the tenor voice of the string family and in addition to its vital role in the orchestra, and in smaller string combinations, is often to be heard as a solo or as an accompanying instrument. It is pitched an octave below the viola. The ‘cello section of the orchestra is usually situated immediately in front of the conductor and to his left. behind
the first violins. The National Orchestra has six violoncellos. ST rere nce ew enn em
Though few ’cello players have become _internationally
known as_- virtuosi, as have so many violinists, the names of such masters of the instrument as Alfredo Piatti, the German Bernhard Romberg and the Catalan Pau Casals, spring readily to mind. Of these the lastnamed, being contemporary and having made numerous recordings, is perhaps best known. He has also composed and was the founder and conductor of the Barcelona Orchestra.
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 422, 25 July 1947, Page 15
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342INSTRUMENTS IN THE ORCHESTRA: New Zealand Listener, Volume 17, Issue 422, 25 July 1947, Page 15
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