Violoncell

The word “violoncello” is the formal name for the cello, the tenor instrument of the violin family.

In Italian, the suffix –one means big, and the suffix –ello means small. Violone, or “big viola,” was an early name for the double bass. But our friend the “bass arm viola” was smaller than the violone, so a diminutive had to be added, turning violone, the big viola, into violoncello, the little big viola.

A cello is a musical instrument with four strings that looks like a large violin. You play the cello with a bow while sitting down and holding it upright between your legs.

violin. noun. vi·​o·​lin ˌvī-ə-ˈlin. 1. : a stringed musical instrument with four strings that is usually held against the shoulder under the chin and played with a bow.

cello, also called violoncello, French violoncelle, German cello or violoncello, bass musical instrument of the violin group, with four strings, pitched C–G–D–A upward from two octaves below middle C.

The strings can differ a lot between a violin and a cello. A violin will usually have much shorter, thinner strings, and this is what enables it to hit the higher notes. The strings of a cello are thicker which is what helps to achieve the lower tone.

The sound of this instrument is unique. No other string instrument has a perfect range like the cello, the ability to produce a deep, dark, sound or go up and match instruments like the violin in higher registers. None of the other stringed instruments can produce so many tone colours.

The cello is significantly larger than the first two and the bass is the largest. The size of the strings also varies in both thickness and length, which plays a role in the instrument's range of notes. For example, the shorter, thinner strings of the violin and viola allow the instruments to hit higher notes.

fiddle Violin is the formal word for a fiddle - a stringed instrument that's held to a player's neck and played with a bow. Nearly every string quartet includes at least one violin.

The violin is regarded as one of the most important musical instruments in history, perhaps because of its fundamental role in an orchestra or the inspiration and emotion transferred to the listener upon hearing its powerfully romantic sound.

The cello also has the same four strings as the viola, but they are pitched an octave lower. This is why cello music is written in the bass clef. Like the other two instruments, the thickness of the strings varies, but cellos have the longest strings at around 70 cm.

A violin is a "little viola", a violone is a "big viola" or a bass violin, and a violoncello (often abbreviated cello) is a "small violone" (or literally, a "small big viola").