Cello
The cello in five languages — cello, violoncello, Violoncello, violoncelle
Related
Five languages
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 大提琴 |
| English | cello |
| Italian | violoncello |
| German | Violoncello |
| French | violoncelle |
The cello is the low instrument of the violin family, held between the knees and played upright. Cello is short for violoncello, which is itself a diminutive of violone, the cello's ancestor — a "little" suffix attached to a large instrument: the name's history runs opposite to the instrument's size.
Watch out: cello and double bass are both low strings but differ in tuning and register; Chinese 大提琴 is the cello and 低音提琴 the double bass.
Read deeper → Cello
Sources
- 各语种乐器名与 violoncello 的词源，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Violoncello"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.