Violoncello - SpeedyLook encyclopedia

History

Invention

The violoncello appears only little of years after the violin, at the end of the 16th century. Its supposed direct ancestor, Rebec, was a flat instrument with three cords. The low of violin , the original violoncello such as it is presented to us in 1530, was an instrument much smaller than it today, is equipped with three cords and is granted a Quinte below the violin (against a fifth and an octave today). In 1550, a fourth cord (serious) is added and the re-examined agreement. The size of the body of the instrument (except handle) increases up to approximately 80 centimetres (the current size is approximately 76 centimetres). This size was the limit: beyond, the technical of left hand, at one time or unhafted only appears, became too difficult.

If current interpretation is followed, the family of the violins (Violon, viola and violoncello) is fixed in her current form by brilliant the Andrea Amati (1535 - 1612), Luthier of Crémone. It is in this important city for the Western music that the violoncello and all its family take their final form, in the successive workshops of Niccolò Amati - going down from the precedent -, his/her own children, celebrates it Antonio Stradivari (Crémone 1644 - December 17th 1737) - probable pupil of Niccolò -, the original Bartolomeo Giuseppe Guarneri (1683 - 1745) - raises of Stradivari called Guarnerius del Gésu . This Italian school fixes the forms and radiates in all Europe, through the Compagnonnage: Jacob Stainer (1621 - 1683), Master of the stringed-instrument trade Austro-Hungarian, was a probable comrade of Stradivari at Amati. François Medard, raises of Stradivari, returns at his place, in Mirecourt, once its completed studies.

The conquest

This prestigious birth, however, does not ensure an immediate reputation the violoncello. The competition which opposes it to low Viola da gamba is tight. Indeed, the viola da gamba (it also drifting of the “rebab”, introduced in Spain by the Moors towards VIIIe century) knows its hour of glory in Italy since noble Valencian the Roderic de Borja (become Rodrigo Borgia in Italy), future Alexandre VI, brought many violists to Rome. The violoncello is extremely discrete at the 17th century and the 18th century is one century of coexistence in the literature for unit or solistic works.

Some Type-setter S, Purcell, Marin Marais or François Couperin, are not accustomed to the instrument, and take guard well to specify in their works which they are intended for “bass viol” and not with the violoncello. But at the end of the 18th century century, the bass viol is supplanted definitively; indeed, the virtuosos of the violoncello manage to convince their contemporaries of its qualities of stamp and virtuosity, and of major works make its fame, in particular the six Continuations for Violoncello alone of Jean-Sebastien Bach which visit in-depth the rare polyphonic capacities of the instrument.

One often puts this fight in parallel of that of the classes: the '' violated da gamba '', family of the viols, were regarded as instruments nobler than those of the family of the violated da braccio , our modern string instruments, more vulgar for the contemporaries of the 16th century century. Undoubtedly is necessary it to count the social evolutions of the 18th century to the number of the reasons of the success of this second family. During the French revolution and after, the viols, undoubtedly considered to be too aristocratic, were transformed into violoncellos, Violon S and violas.

Blossoming

As a substitute with the basic viol, the violoncello is initially confined with the roles of accompaniment. To the end of the 18th century century, instrument less squat than today, the violoncello second the Harpsichord and supplements “the low continuous one” which founds the bases of the harmony in musical works baroques. The sound more confidential, is felted more than that of the modern instruments.

However the instrument started to be essential. Antonio Vivaldi (1678 - 1741) dedicated 27 concertos and 11 sonatas with low continuous to him; Luigi Boccherini (1734 - 1805), violoncellist virtuoso, equipped it with concertos for violoncello.

Especially, the technique evolves/moves:

virtuosity starts at the 18th century century: the positions of the inch are invented, the violoncellist Francesco Alborea (" Franciscello" , 1691 - 1739), being one of the first to have made known them. Both Sonate S that one allots to him use the ré4, of many doubles cords, and arpeggios agreements.

the brothers Duport, Jean-Pierre and Jean-Louis (virtuoso éponyme of the current Stradivarius of Rostropovitch), work a little later in the 18th century. The sonatas of Jean-Pierre, the elder one, reach the la5. Jean-Louis, is the author of a theoretical work, Essai on the tact (1806), which provides the foundations of the modern tact of the violoncello.

The violoncellists become virtuosos, and make a point of announcing it. Works, sometimes major are known as we will see it, the purpose of who were to emphasize these new technical possibilities.

the soloist part of the Concerto in major D of Haydn could be written only by one violoncellist: it is often said that the violoncellist Anton Kraft would have outlined the work of Haydn which would have then supplemented it (at the 19th century, Gevaert improved it and added the orchestration there)

the same type of collaboration is suggested for the Concerto for Violoncello in So Minor (1895) of Dvořák, between the type-setter and his colleague of recital in the United States, the violoncellist Hanus Wihan.

The romantic miracle

The romantic period it 19th century will be particularly advantageous with the violoncello. Johannes Brahms, Robert Schumann, Edouard Lalo, Camille Saint-Saëns, Antonín Dvořák, Jacques Offenbach (1819 - 1880), which played magnificiently well of the violoncello when it did not compose of operettas - but from which works for violoncello fell to the oubliettes, Ludwig van Beethoven, Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy wrote parts for violoncello and piano or of the memorable concertos (see below: repertory).

At that time, dimensions of the instrument do not change any more. Its stamp becomes bright, and its sound power, limited when it was instrument of accompaniment, increases, on the one hand to make it possible to the type-setters to use full orchestras or more ambitious techniques of orchestration, and on the other hand to answer the new requirements of the increasingly large concert halls.

The romantic period is also an important passage in the technique of the violoncello. Indeed, of many type-setters (violoncellists themselves) write treated and methods for their pupils. The musicians having then published studies for the violoncello are inter alia, Sebastien Lee, David Popper, Friedrich Dotzauer, Jean-Louis Duport and Bernhard Romberg.

The modern instrument

At the 20th century, the instrument makes almost good match with the violin. Rare are the major type-setters whose catalog of works does not contain parts for violoncello.

the French type-setters, among whom Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Ravel or Claude Debussy makes of it great use in their chamber music.
the modern type-setters Serge Prokofiev, Dmitri Chostakovitch, Dmitri Kabalevski, Benjamin Britten, Henri Dutilleux, Heitor Villa Lobos, György Ligeti, Krzysztof Penderecki etc more explored the capacities of the violoncello, and this thanks to the major influence of Mstislav Rostropovitch, better ambassador of its instrument and which created more than one hundred fifty works. The quality of the interpreters improving, the technical range implemented explodes (see the sonata for violoncello alone of Zoltán Kodály).
the modern music explored novel modes of play to the violoncello, in particular the Finnish compositrice Kaija Saariaho, which in addition to an abundant work for the instrument developed new sonorities, with especially a work on texture. These novel methods of course include electronic devices which make it possible to modify in real-time its product by the instrumentalist, but also of novel methods of play virtuosos, in particular of the variations of pressure and slope of the bow which produce an extremely rugeux sound. One can for example quote works for violoncello alone of Iannis Xenakis ( Nomos Alpha , Kottos )

Technical sides

Cut

The modern instruments have a length of body (except handle) which varies between 74 centimetres for smallest and 76 to 76.5 centimetres.

As comparison, here famous dimensions of instruments:

There exist several sizes, by order ascending: Sixteenth, Eighth, Quarter, Half, Three-quarter, Seven-Eighth, Entirety (there exist more or less large entireties)

The spade

Goes away at the time baroque, and added in the middle of the 19th century century, the spade, piece of metal supporting the violoncello, is today generally a thin stake from 30 to 60 cm, finished by a metal point. This spade can slide in the violoncello at ends of adjustment or arrangement.

The metal point which finishes it, generally planted in a " planche" provided with notches (wood, plexiglass, etc) or in a part with a resistant fabric (fitteds carpet, fabrics, etc), is also sometimes covered with an end of rubber of spherical or conical form. This end makes the spade more adherent on the ground, for a freer play, and prevents the point from damaging the surface on which it is posed.

The spade was made necessary by the complexification of the technique of left hand. Indeed, with the increase in the number and magnitude of the movements of the instrumentalist, a more stable instrument quickly proved to be essential.

This spade, with the wire of time, gradually goes up the violoncello towards the oblique. Paul Tortelier, at the 20th century, invents a “barbarian” spade which comprises an almost right angle and makes it possible to reassemble more still the instrument towards the horizontal one.

Technique of left hand

Extension

The extension is the displacement of several fingers (generally only one) of the left hand on the key in order to reach acuter notes or more low registers of a semitone or a tone, even more.

When that one wants to reach a more serious note of a half your (extension postpones), one more generally moves the index to the top rather than to move the whole hand. During an extension before (to reach a acuter note without moving all the hand), one shifts initially the inch, in lower part of the handle. The second finger follows the movement and moves of a half tone: the third and fourth fingers are then automatically placed. It also happens that one makes a double extension of a tone to go to seek a note in the following position without having to unhaft. One moves the whole hand (see unhafted) only when the extension proves too complicated, or that the position proves easier to reach the notes.

Unhafted

Unhafted consists of a displacement of the left hand in the direction of the handle in order to reach acuter notes.

One meets this term at Rabelais (1550); unhafted establishment of the final shapes of the instrument thus seems to be contemporary (for memory, Andrea Amati lived between 1535 and 1612).

Inch

The most original aspect of the technique of the violoncello is the use of the inch.

In normal weather, this one is placed under the handle, between the index and the major one (or in opposition with the major one). However, once the left hand above the table (beyond the do⁵), this possibility disappears and the inch leaves . This one, posed across the cords (on a cord, two cords, more rarely three cords, and generally on and D) allows:

to stabilize the hand
to add a finger, increasing by as much the potential virtuosity of the instrument.

The inch thus makes it possible to the violoncellist to exploit of the octaves out of double-cords the whole of the violoncello and in the acute register to limit unhafted.

One quotes the violoncellist Francesco Alborea (" Franciscello" , 1691 - 1739), that one finds in Italy and Austria, like one of the first promoters of this technique. Today, this technique is very widespread, so much it simplifies many difficult situations.

The Piccolo Violoncello with 5 cords

This violoncello has an additional cord (granted into semi or acute D). It was particularly used during the period baroque, and was slightly smaller than a normal violoncello.

This type of violoncello was proposed by Jean-Sebastien Bach at the time where he wrote his crowned cantatas. For some of them it needed a " violoncello with an additional acute cord in mi".

There existed also the Viola pomposa, between the violoncello and the viola, granted in C ground D the semi one, for which Bach wrote many parts of orchestra.

Its sixth continuation for violoncello it was also written for an instrument with 5 cords, although the majority of the interpreters play it on a violoncello with 4 cords, this returning the task of interpretation much more difficult.

This remarkable instrument is currently used, with cords in bowel granted to the Diapason 415, for the interpretation of the cantatas of Bach by Noordhoek Baroque Together.

Repertory

See also: List of principal works for violoncello

famous Violoncellists

See the list of the traditional violoncellists.

famous Violoncellos

The most beautiful instruments of the large violin makers are named, not by the violin maker, but by the History and their prestigious interpreters.

Antonio Stradivari

the “Duport”, (the instrument of Mstislav Rostropovitch since 1974).
the “Romberg”,
the “Batta”,
the “Piatti”,
the “Suggia”,
the “of Munck”,
the “Davidov”, (currently the property of Yo-Yo Ma),
the “Markevitch”,
the “Served”, (an instrument of very big size, approximately 3 cm larger than the current violoncellos. It belonged to the Belgian violoncellist Adrien-François Servais)

See too

Arpeggione
Apocalyptica a group of metal Finnish composed of three violoncellists and a beater.

External bonds

http://www.levioloncelle.com/ Site of the French association of the violoncello (with an active forum)
http://www.encyclocello.org/ interactive Online encyclopedia on the violoncello
http://www.cello.org (in English)

Simple: Cello

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