The Physics and Science of the Violoncello

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The violoncello, or more commonly known as the cello, is often referred to as the tenor of the string family. The name ‘violoncello’ literally means “little violone”- where ‘one’ means big and ‘cello’ means little. The violone was the lowest-pitched instrument of the Viol family. By the end of the 19th century, the term “violincello” has been more or less replaced with “cello”.
The cello has four strings, tuned in relations of perfect 5ths. This fact is derived from the phenomenon of the overtone series; a perfect fifth is the second overtone above the fundamental, and the first non-repetitious overtone. Therefore, relations of perfect fifths are the strongest relations in the musical language, and are used for tuning as well as major harmonic movements within classical pieces. From the top, the cello strings are: A3, D3, G2, C2- which is two octaves below middle C. It has the same open string pitches as the viola, except an octave below.
When cellos are bowed or plucked, the air around the string vibrates, producing sound waves. Since the strings are very thin, not much air is moved; therefore, it is mounted on a larger body. Because of the large body of the cello, it can produce a full-bodied sound. Since the physical characteristics of each individual cellos are different, the sound produced is also very slightly different.
The resonance of the wood makes it so that all cellos have a “wolf tone”. This is when the resonance is split into two frequencies, and the resonances beat with each other, making an unpleasant, growling, beating sound in nearby tones (usually around F or F#). A wolf eliminator must be attached to “get rid” of the wolf tone; however, “getting rid of” just means moving the tone to another pitch- to a one ...

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... orchestra. It is usually the bass line, which is the fundamental voice and is incredibly essential. There are 8 to 12 players in an orchestra, but depending on the piece, there can be more or less. The cellists are normally placed towards the right side of the stage when looked from the audience- across the 1st violins. However, some orchestras prefer the cellos where the violas usually are- next to the cellos further inwards. There is one player- usually the most skilled cellist- who becomes the principal- who sits the closest to the conductor and the audience. They have the responsibilities of making bowings, playing solos, and leading the entire section.
There are many cellists- a person who plays cello- well known for their great and masterful playing, such as Emanuel Feuermann and Gregor Piatigorsky. These people have made history in the art of cello playing.

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