violoncello

views updated May 29 2018

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

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English

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.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music MICHAEL KENNEDY and JOYCE BOURNE

violoncello

views updated Jun 27 2018

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

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology T. F. HOAD

violoncello

views updated May 23 2018

violoncello See cello

World Encyclopedia

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

violoncello

All Sources -
Updated Aug 08 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like