Cello

The cello, or violonecello, came into existence by 1529, but only had 3 strings. Domenico Gabrieli wrote the first solos for the cello about 1675, and a cello maker in Bologna, Giovanni Battista degli Antoni, contributed some nore in 1687. Its first concertos were by Jaccini in 1701.

With 3 and a half octaves as well as a rich, sonorous tone, the cello features in many orchestral works like Rossini's William Tell Overture and Saint-Saen's The Elephant. With a technique known as the pizzicato glissando (the string is plucked with the right hand while the left finger slides up or down the string), the cello can imitate the guitar.

Midi: Saint-Saen's The Swan

The cello is like a beautiful woman who has not grown older, but younger with time, more slender, more supple, more graceful. -- Pablo Casals

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