Message on the topic violin viola cello double bass. Bowed musical instruments

Viola, cello, double bass

When asked what a viola is, almost everyone answers: “It’s a violin, only bigger.”

This answer is correct if we only mean the shape of the instrument, its appearance. But the viola has its own characteristic timbre, not like the sound of any other instrument, so consider it just big violin it is forbidden.

The history of the viola is dramatic. He was unlucky, and still not very lucky.

The fact is that the body of the viola, if done according to acoustic calculations resulting from the failure of the instrument, should be quite large - about 46 centimeters in length. Increases, of course, and the length of the neck. And to play such an instrument, the musician must have long and strong fingers. And that rarely happens.

You ask: how then do they play the cello, and even more so the double bass - after all, these instruments are much larger than the viola?

There is a significant difference here. The left hand of the violinist and violist does two things at once: it presses the strings to the fretboard and supports the instrument. The left hand of the cellist and double bass player is freed from this second task - their instruments have a different support. If the violist could freely hold his hand over the neck, there would be no problems. But him thumb all the time must remain below, under the neck, and the remaining fingers have to be pulled, especially when playing in the place of the neck, which is located above the body of the instrument. Doing this on a long alto fretboard is not easy. Therefore, there was a natural desire among violists to reduce the size of their instruments.

Cremonese craftsmen made large, acoustically correct violas, and they sounded amazing. But a paradoxical thing happened: if the violinist always dreamed of a good violin and was looking for it, then the viola, on the contrary, was looking for a musician and did not always find him. Musicians rejected big, fine sounding violas and ordered smaller instruments. Gradually, the opinion was formed that it was impossible to play the big viola at all. Masters, responding to the demand of musicians, began to produce undersized violas with a nasal and muffled sound. Even Antonio Stradivari eventually compromised his craft and made small violas, not much larger than a violin. They sounded, of course, worse than his violins and big violas.

Because of all this, the reputation of the viola by the eighteenth century was noticeably shaken. Most often, unsuccessful violinists began to play it, and composers were wary of entrusting serious parts to the viola in orchestral works.

But some people did not want to put up with this situation. For example, the master Jean Vuillaume (the one who made the violin-box by order of Felix Savart) built big tool at a time when almost everyone thought that the real viola was a thing of the past and would never return. The instrument turned out to be beautiful, but ... again, no one wanted to play it. Viola Vilhom ended up in the museum, never knowing life in music.

However, little by little, composers began to reconsider their attitude to the viola. The beginning was laid by Christoph Gluck, who entrusted the viola with the main melody in one episode of his opera Alceste, and then gradually the viola took the position in the orchestra that was assigned to it by the Cremonese. Conductors stopped tolerating unsuccessful violinists as violists and began to demand full-fledged music from viola players.

Now in some orchestras, in addition to the usual requirements for a musician playing the viola, there is also this: the body of his instrument must be no shorter than 42 centimeters. This is already close to the calculated alt, but not yet complete, so some compromise remains.

The viola is not as popular as the violin or cello. Yes, he is a full member of the symphony and chamber orchestras, he is invariably included in string Quartet, but solo concerts by violists are not held very often. But if any of you manage to attend such a concert, and even if the musician has a real grand viola, the impression will be unforgettable.

The next instrument of the violin family is the cello. Here, no one, perhaps, will say that the cello is a big violin. The cello has a very special timbre of sound and its own character. When it is necessary to express grief, sadness, sadness, despair with music, the cello has no equal, it conveys these feelings so deeply.

Cellos were built already the very first violin makers- Bertolotti, Magini, Amati. But, like the violin, Antonio Stradivari brought the cello to perfection. One of Stradivari's favorite students, Carlo Bergonzi, made a lot of cellos. His instruments are considered among the best.

Like the viola, the cello did not immediately take a prominent place in music. For a long time, she was entrusted with only accompaniment in the orchestra, and even when she was accompanied, she was often not independent, but only duplicated the parts of other instruments. But her extraordinary qualities were finally noticed, great musicians improved the techniques of the game, the composers began to entrust her with individual parts in the orchestra, and then recognized her as a solo instrument. Now cellists participate in many international competitions on a par with violinists and pianists, and works written specifically for the cello are inseparable from the rest of the musical wealth.

The violin family is completed by another representative - the double bass.

Special mention must be made of its form. Try to mentally enlarge the violin to the size of a double bass - and there will be no coincidence. The double bass has sloping shoulders - those parts of the body that are adjacent to the neck. Its bottom is flatter than the violin, and the cutouts on the sides are not the same shape. It is believed that the double bass has not yet “completed” - it has not completed its transition from viols to violins. Even the sizes have not settled down - in different workshops they make double basses of different sizes, from 180 to 200 centimeters long. Therefore, double bassists sometimes have a hard time: it is difficult to carry such a large instrument with them on tour, and there, in another city, a double bass of unusual size can be caught.

This instrument has a drawback that has not yet been overcome - the so-called contrabass rumble, which accompanies its sound. But, despite this, the double bass is indispensable in the orchestra - it is the only one of all the instruments of the low register that has such a thick and dense sound. The old masters built small bass instruments with a clear, hum-free sound, but very few of these instruments have survived.

All instruments of the violin family in different time were introduced into jazz orchestras and ensembles, but only the double bass firmly settled in them. There were and are among jazz double bassists their virtuosos, their stars. And despite the emergence of such an instrument more suitable for jazz as a bass electric guitar, not all jazz orchestras hastened to abandon the double bass.

It would seem that the double bass is in no way suitable for solo performances, its business is accompaniment. But it's not. There are musicians who overcome the existing specifics of the instrument and prove that there are still hidden in it open opportunities. Maybe you can get to solo concert double bassist or at least buy a record of such a concert, then you will see for yourself.

So we met four relatives from the violin family - violin, viola, cello, double bass. Their role in contemporary music huge, it can no longer be entrusted to any other instruments. Without them there is neither a symphony nor a chamber orchestra, there is no string trio, quartet, quintet, there are no many folk ensembles. And at the same time each of them is a great soloist.

The cello is bowed string instrument, an obligatory member of the symphony orchestra and string ensemble, possessing a rich performance technique. Due to its rich and melodious sound, it is often used as a solo instrument. The cello is widely used when it is necessary to express sadness, despair or deep lyrics in music, and in this it has no equal.

Unlike violins And viola, to which it looks very similar, the cello is not held in the hands, but placed vertically. It is interesting that at one time it was played standing up, placed on a special chair, only then they came up with a spire that rests on the floor, thereby supporting the instrument.

It's amazing that before creativity L.V. Beethoven composers did not give special significance melodiousness of this instrument. However, having received recognition in his works, the cello took important place in the works of romantics and other composers.

Sound

Having a thick, rich, melodious, penetrating sound, the cello often resembles a timbre human voice. Sometimes it seems to solo performances that she is talking and in a singsong voice to you. About a person, we would say that he has a chest voice, that is, coming from the depths chest and perhaps the soul itself. It is this mesmerizing deep sound that surprises the cello.

• Count Villegorsky owned two fine Stradivarius cellos. One of them was later owned by K.Yu. Davydov, then Jacqueline du Pré, now it is played by the famous cellist and composer Yo-Yo Ma.
• Once upon a time in Paris was arranged original contest. The great cellist Casals took part in it. The sound of ancient instruments made by the masters Guarneri and Stradivari was studied, as well as the sound of modern cellos made at the factory. A total of 12 instruments took part in the experiment. The light was turned off for the purity of the experiment. What was the surprise of the jury and Casals himself when, after listening to the sound, the judges gave 2 times more points to modern models for the beauty of sound than to the old ones. Then Casals said: “I prefer to play old instruments. Let them lose in the beauty of sound, but they have a soul, and the current ones have beauty without a soul.
• The cellist Pablo Casals loved and spoiled his instruments. In the bow of one of the cellos, he inserted a sapphire, which was presented to him by the Queen of Spain.
• The Finnish band Apocalyptika has gained great popularity. In her repertoire hard Rock. What is surprising is that the musicians play 4 cellos and drums at the same time. This use of this bowed instrument, which has always been considered soulful, soft, soulful, lyrical, brought the group worldwide fame. In the name of the group, the performers combined 2 words Apocalypse and Metallica.
• The famous abstract artist Julia Borden paints her amazing pictures not on canvas or paper, but on violins and cellos. To do this, she removes the strings, cleans the surface, primes it and then paints the drawing. Why she chose such an unusual placement for the paintings, Julia cannot even explain to herself. She said that these instruments seem to pull her towards them, inspiring her to complete the next masterpiece.
• The musician Roldugin bought a Stuart cello, made by the master Stradivarius in 1732, for $12 million. Its first owner was King Frederick the Great of Prussia.
• The cost of Antonio Stradivari instruments is the highest. In total, the master made 80 cellos. To date, according to experts, 60 tools have been preserved.
• The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra has 12 cellists. They became famous for introducing many arrangements of popular contemporary songs into their repertoire.
• The classic look of the instrument is made of wood. However, some modern masters decided to break the stereotypes. For example, Louis and Clark have been making carbon fiber cellos, and Alcoa has been making aluminum cellos since the 1930s. The German master Pfretzschner was also carried away by the same.
• The ensemble of cellists from St. Petersburg under the direction of Olga Rudneva has a rather rare composition. The ensemble includes 8 cellos and a piano.
• In December 2014, South African Karel Henn set the record for the longest cello playing. He played continuously for 26 hours and got into the Guinness Book of Records.
• Mstislav Rostropovich, a cello virtuoso of the 20th century, made a significant contribution to the development and promotion of the cello repertoire. He performed for the first time more than a hundred new works for cello.
• One of the most famous cellos is the "King" which was made by Andre Amati between 1538 and 1560. This is one of the oldest cellos and is in the South Dakota National Music Museum.
• 4 strings on the instrument were not always used, in the 17th and 18th centuries there were five-stringed cellos in Germany and the Netherlands.
• Initially, the strings were made from sheep offal, later they were replaced by metal ones.

Repertoire

The cello has a very rich repertoire of concertos, sonatas and other works. Perhaps the most famous of them are the six suites I.S. Bach for cello solo, variations on a rococo theme P.I. Tchaikovsky and "Swan" by Saint-Saens. J. S. Bach - Suite No. 1 in G major (listen)

P.I. Tchaikovsky. - Variations on a Rococo theme for cello and orchestra (listen)

A. Dvorak - Concerto for cello and orchestra (listen)

C. Saint-Saens - "Swan" (listen)

I. Brahms - Double concerto for violin and cello (listen)

The work of one of the masters of the Amati family. a bass instrument of the violin family, tuned an octave below the viola. The performer puts the cello on the floor and plays it while sitting. Initially, in the 16th century, it was a purely ensemble instrument, ... ... Collier Encyclopedia

- (Italian violoncello, from viola viola). A musical instrument between the violin and double bass. Dictionary foreign words included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. CELLO 4-string bowed instrument, invented by the musician ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

cello- and, well. violoncelle, it. cello. 1. music. A four-stringed bow instrument, in place and sound, the middle one between the alto and the bass. Dal. Plays the cello. Note. Vedas. 1738 178. They played two violins and a filonshell. 20. 7. 1789. CFJ. // Livanova 2… … Historical dictionary gallicisms of the Russian language

Cello- Cello. CELLO (Italian violoncello), a stringed bowed musical instrument of the violin family of bass tenor sound. Appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries. Classical samples were created by Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. (A. and N. Amati, J.… … Illustrated encyclopedic Dictionary

- (Italian violoncello) a musical instrument of the violin family of the bass tenor register. Appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries. Classical samples were created by Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries: A. and N. Amati, J. Guarneri, A. Stradivari and others. CELLO (Italian ... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

Basetl, chordophone, instrument Dictionary of Russian synonyms. cello n., number of synonyms: 6 basetl (3) gamba ... Synonym dictionary

- (Violoncello, abbreviated as Cello) middle instrument between viola and double bass; has an enlarged viola shape. It replaced the ancient instrument viola di Gamba. The tuning is the same as that of the viola, but only an octave lower. Its sound volume is very large, in ... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

- (Italian violoncello), a stringed bowed musical instrument of the violin family of bass tenor sound. Appeared in the 15th and 16th centuries. Classical samples were created by Italian masters of the 17th and 18th centuries. (A. and N. Amati, J. Guarneri, A. Stradivari and ... ... Modern Encyclopedia

CELLO, cellos, female (Italian violoncello) (music). Bowed musical instrument with four strings, shaped like a large violin. Dictionary Ushakov. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov

CELLO, and, for women. Bowed musical instrument, medium in register and size between the violin and double bass. | adj. cello, oh, oh. Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 ... Explanatory dictionary of Ozhegov

The violin, like the cello, belongs to stringed bowed musical instruments. But a layman, perhaps, will distinguish them only by appearance: the cello is known to be much larger than the violin in size. Sometimes, when asked what is the difference between a violin and a cello, they give a curious answer from a fireman from an old joke: "The cello burns longer." But seriously, what is the difference between these musical instruments?

Definition

Violin(violino in Italian) is a stringed musical instrument played with a bow, similar in structure to the viola and cello, but having the highest register.

Violin

Cello (violoncello in Italian) - a stringed musical instrument from which sounds are extracted with a bow, similar in structure to the viola and violin, but having a bass and tenor register.

Comparison

Although these tools have common origin: their ancestor is an old viola, which they could masterfully improve Italian masters, each of them has its own characteristics. The first and obvious difference is, of course, the size. A standard cello is almost three times the size of a full-sized violin and has an impressive weight, so it is played while sitting, after setting it on the floor on a special stand - a spire. From this follows the difference in the length of the strings and the distance between adjacent sounds - in the cello they are much larger. When playing the cello, the musician has less risk of hitting an unnecessary string. In addition, the cello has more large size fretboard and wider scale (which gives the sound a noticeable tension and "rigidity" compared to the violin).

The cello and the violin have different timbres of sound. The sound of a violin can be compared to a high female voice, while the sound of a cello resembles a low male timbre (now bass, now baritone, now tenor). Many music lovers are sure that the sound of the cello - juicy, melodious - is as close as possible to the human voice compared to other instruments.

Both the violin and the cello have four strings, but due to the size of the instruments, the technique of playing them is different, although the same principles are used. Because the cello is on the floor, the cellist has more maneuvers than the violinist. He can move freely left hand, which is also less twisted than when playing the violin, since the cello stands almost vertically, neck up, and the bow is directed towards the fourth string. The violin is the opposite: the neck is directed downwards during the game, and the strings are located in relation to the hand in the reverse order.

The cello bow is shorter than the violin bow and more massive. The strings of the cello are thicker than those of the violin, which means that a stronger constant pressure on the bow is required when playing.

Findings site

1. The cello is almost three times larger than the violin.
2. Violin - hand tool, cello - foot. Usually the musician plays the violin while standing, the cello - only sitting, as the instrument is quite massive. The cello is pre-installed on the floor on a special stop.
3. The cello has longer and thicker strings and larger size neck.
4. The timbre of the violin sounds like a high female voice, the timbre of the cello is low male.
5. When playing, the violin is held with the neck down, the cello with the neck up.
6. The cello bow is shorter than the violin bow and is more massive.

The basis of a symphony orchestra is a group located in the center, directly in front of the audience and the conductor. These are strings bowed instruments. The vibration of strings is the source of sound. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification, bowed stringed instruments are called chordophones. When two violins, viola and cello play together, a string quartet is formed. This is a chamber

predecessors

Double basses, cellos, violas and even violins were not the first to appear, they were preceded by violas, which became popular in the fifteenth century. Their sound was soft and gentle, so very soon they became favorites of all sorts of orchestras. Bowed string instruments as such appeared long before the viola, but they are still much younger than plucked instruments.

The bow was invented in India, even the ancient Greeks did not know about it yet. Arabs, Persians, Africans passed it from country to country like a baton, and gradually (by the eighth century) the bow came to Europe. Stringed bowed instruments were formed there, which, changing, gave life first to the viola, and then to the violin.

Viola

Violas were of different sizes and with different voices, some stood between the knees, others - on their knees, others - larger - stood on the bench and they had to be played while standing. There were also small violas, which, like the violin, were held on the shoulder. Viola da gamba is still in orchestras, she has a very peculiar and beautiful "voice". She victoriously existed until the eighteenth century, then for some time the cello performed her parts. Only in 1905 did the viola da gamba return to the orchestra. Stringed musical instruments have greatly enriched their sound thanks to her return.

In general, viols were more acceptable for aristocrats for a long time: they have an exquisite, as if muffled sound, music sounds organically by candlelight, when the musicians are in velvet robes and powdered wigs. Violins first conquered folk music, therefore, they were not allowed into palaces and salons for a long time, viols and lutes reigned there.

Musical viols were made from the most valuable materials and were also very beautiful, even the heads were often with artistic carving in the form of flowers, heads of animals or people.

Masters

In the fifteenth century, with the advent of violins, lute and viol makers began to retrain as folk fair instruments supplanted the old aristocratic ones, as they had much more opportunities to produce a sound that was expressive and technically skillful. The famous school of Andrea Amati was founded in Cremona, which became hereditary. His grandson succeeded in making violins, in which the sound was extremely enhanced, while the warmth, softness and variety of timbre were preserved.

Violins began to be able to do everything: to express human feelings and even imitate the intonations of the human voice. A century later, another master - Antonio Stradivari, a student opened his own workshop and also succeeded. Also outstanding master there was also Giuseppe Guarneri, who came up with a new design of the violin, more perfect. All these schools were family-run, and children and grandchildren continued the business. They made not only violins, but also all other bowed stringed instruments.

Names of orchestral instruments

The violin has the highest register of bowed strings, and the double bass has the lowest. Closer to the violin sound - a little lower - the viola sounds, even lower - the cello. In their form, all stringed bowed instruments resemble a human figure, only of different sizes.

The body of the violins has two soundboards - lower and upper, the first is made of maple, and the second is made of spruce. It is the decks that are responsible for the quality and power of the sound. On the top there are curly cuts - effs, and they look like the letter "f". A neck is attached to the body (on which the violinist's fingers "run"), usually it is made of ebony, and strings are stretched over it - there are four of them. They are fastened with pegs, twisting on them and stretching. Here the pitch depends on the tension, twisting the pegs.

How they are played

The viola is larger than the violin, although it is also held on the shoulder. The cello is even larger and is played while sitting on a chair, placing the instrument on the floor between the legs. double bass much more cello size, the bassist always plays standing up, in rare cases he sits down on a high stool.

A bow is a cane made of wood, on which thick horse hair is stretched, which are then smeared with rosin - pine resin. Then the bow slightly sticks to the string and, as it were, pulls it along. The string vibrates and therefore sounds. All bow-string instruments of a symphony orchestra work exactly on this principle. When the score requires it, the bowed strings can be plucked (pizzicato) and even struck with the wooden part of the bow.

Alto

The viola looks very much like a violin, it's just wider and longer, but its timbre is special, the sound is lower and thicker. Not every violinist will be able to play the viola with a body length of forty-six centimeters plus a neck. The fingers should be strong and long, the hand should be wide and also strong. And, of course, you need special sensitivity. All these qualities together are quite rare.

Although the viola is not as popular among composers as the rest of the group of bowed string instruments, it is still very important in symphony orchestra. And when he plays solo, for example, the value of this instrument is especially well felt.

Cello

There is no instrument better adapted to express feelings such as grief, sadness, sadness, even despair. The voice of the cello has a special timbre that pierces the soul, unlike any other instrument. compared in his scarlet sails"violin with a pure girl named Assol, and the cello with passionate Carmen. And indeed, the cello can transmit very deeply strong feelings and bright personality.

Cellos were made simultaneously with violins by the very first masters, but Antonio Stradivari brought it to perfection. This instrument was not noticed in the orchestra for a long time, leaving him the accompaniment parts, but when this voice was truly heard, the composers wrote a lot of solo and chamber music for the cello, and performers increasingly improved the technique of playing this instrument.

double bass

This is the lowest register string instrument. The shape of the double bass does not look too much like a violin: a more sloping body, its shoulders are close to the neck. His sound is booming, thick, low, and without the bass register the orchestra will not sound good, so the double bass is simply irreplaceable there. Moreover, it takes root in almost any orchestra - even jazz. You can't do without it.

If we compare the orchestral score with human body, That bass line- this is a skeleton, on which, respectively, "meat" is accompaniment, and the melodic line is "skin", it is visible to everyone. If we imagine that the skeleton is removed from the body, what happens? Yes, the bag is shapeless. Bass is just as necessary, everything rests on it. What string-bowed instruments can keep the rhythm of the whole orchestra? Contrabass only.

Violin

Stringed bowed instruments rightfully consider her the queen when the violin sings, the rest can only sing along. The sound is extracted in a tricky way that no other instrument of this group can do. A bow with hard, rough, coarse horsehair, rubbed with rosin, is almost a file, because strong rosin is poured into powder. When the bow touches the string, it immediately sticks and pulls the string along for as long as its elasticity is enough, then it breaks off to immediately stick again. This is the movement of the string - uniform when the bow pulls it, and sinusoidal on return - and gives that unique timbre.

There is also such subtlety: in other instruments, in guitars, for example, the strings are stretched on hard metal nut, and in the violin they rest on a wooden, rather flimsy stand, which oscillates when played in both directions, and transmits these vibrations to all strings, even those that the bow does not touch. So in big picture subtle overtones are added, which further enrich the sound of the instrument.

Tool Features

The intonation freedom of the violin sound is simply endless. She can not only sing, but also whistle, and mimic the creak of a door and the chirping of a bird. And once on television they showed an April Fool's humor, where the violinist made the audience laugh by imitating sounds that were completely unrelated to music. For example, the unintelligible voice of the dispatcher at the station, announcing the arrival of the train. The word "pavtaryaaaayu" was pronounced by the violin. The mastery of this instrument most of all depends on the quality of the performer's hearing, and the training should be long. It is not in vain that children begin to be taught as early as three or four years old, so that the results are worthy.