Cello Cello The cello ( ; plural cellos or celli) or violoncello ( ; ) is a string instrument. It is played by bowing or plucking its four strings, which are usually tuned in perfect fifths an octave lower than the viola: from low to high, C, G, D and A. It is the bass member of the violin family, which also includes the violin, viola and the double bass, which doubles the bass line an octave lower than the cello in much of the orchestral repertoire. After the double bass, it is the second-largest and second lowest (in pitch) bowed
Poème élégiaque in D minor, Op.12 (Ysaÿe) for violin and orchestra; "Amitié, Op. 26" for two violins and orchestra, "Poème nocturne, Op. 29" for violin, cello, and orchestra; "Harmonies du soir, Op. 31" for string quartet and string orchestra. This crucial work of Ysaÿe's, which ignited his passion for poem compositions, was inspired by Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Ysaÿe builds on the virtuoso pieces of the 19th century and utilizes devices such as "scordatura", in which the violin's lowest string is tuned down to give it a darker, warmer timbre. The beginning of this piece, marked "soutenu et calme", opens with a very lyrical theme from the