violoncello

views updated May 29 2018

vi·o·lon·cel·lo / ˌvīələnˈchelō; ˌvē-/ • n. formal term for cello. DERIVATIVES: vi·o·lon·cel·list / chelist/ n.

violoncello

views updated Jun 08 2018

violoncello (It., usually abbreviated to ‘cello’ Ger. Violoncell; Fr. violoncelle). Bowed 4-str. instr., one of violin family, originating in early 16th cent. Played between performer's knees. Tuned to C G d a; compass of over 3 octaves. All sym. orchs. contain vc. section, and one vc. is part of every str. qt. Noble sound of instr. has been well catered for in concs., those by Dvořák and Elgar in particular exploiting its expressive capabilities to the full.

violoncello

views updated Jun 27 2018

violoncello XVIII. — It., dim. of violene double-bass viol; abbrev. CELLO.

violoncello

views updated May 23 2018

violoncello See cello