THE ORCHESTRA: A USER'S MANUALThis
is the original 2005 site.
|
|---|
| Introduction | Orchestration | Orchestration | Resources | Historical | Andrew Hugill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philharmonia |
CELLO
Section: Strings
Transposing? No
Construction
Range
Bowing
Plucking
Left Hand
Mute/Harmonics
Chords
Extended
Player's
Tips and Tricks
Bowing
|
NAME
|
DESCRIPTION
|
NOTATION
|
LISTEN/VIEW
|
COMMENTS
|
|
arco
|
bowed
(as opposed to plucked)
|
arco
|
Here is a selection of normal bowed notes marked with 'hairpins', to give an idea of the range of bowing pressures available. The cello is capable of great subtlety of dynamics and tone colour:
|
It is assumed that a passage is bowed unless marked otherwise. However, once a 'pizz' indication has been given, 'arco' must be indicated for the next bowed passage. Where unusual bowing techniques are used, 'ord' or 'norm' will return the player to normal bowing. |
|
down
bow
|
bow
travels from frog to point
|
 |
|
There
is no need to indicate bowing unless a specific pattern of up and
down bows is required.
|
|
up
bow
|
bow
travels from point to frog
|
 |
|
There is no need to indicate bowing unless a specific pattern of up and down bows is required. |
|
(middle
bow)
|
Not
normally indicated
|
|||
|
au
talon
|
bowed
at the frog
|
au
talon
(Germ. Frosch It. tallone) |
au talon |
Works
best loud. Aggressive.
|
|
punta
d'arco
|
bowed
at the point
|
punta
d'arco
(Fr. pointe Germ. Spitze) |
punta
d'arco |
Good for quiet notes, but also spiky sounds. |
|
col
legno
|
with
the wood of the bow
|
col
legno battuto (for striking the string)
col legno tratto (for bowing the string) (Fr. bois de l'archet Germ. die Bogenstange) |
|
When only col legno is indicated, players often use tratto but engaging an amount of the hair of the bow. It is best to specify the method. Battuto is best used quietly to minimise bow damage. |
|
sul
ponticello
|
bow
near the bridge
|
sul
pont
|
|
To return to normal bowing after a sul pont passage, write ord or normale |
|
sul
tasto
|
bow
over the fingerboard
|
sul
tasto
|
sul tasto |
To return to normal bowing after a sul tasto passage, write ord or normale |
|
détaché
|
separated
notes
|
|
détaché |
Separate bows |
|
legato
|
smooth,
slurred notes
|
 |
legato |
|
|
tenuto
|
full
note values
|
 |
Alternate bows, full length | |
|
portato
|
"carried"
notes
|
 Fr. louré |
portato
portato with staccato markings, rather than tenuto |
In a single bow, but with slight breaks between notes |
|
staccato
|
short
notes
|
 |
staccato |
Alternate bows |
|
spiccato
|
very
short notes
|
 |
spiccato |
"Off-the-string", i.e. bounced bow. A spiccato played in a single down bow is called saltando, and in a single up-bow is called volante. |
|
martelé
|
"hammered"
notes
|
 |
martelé
accents |
The accents might have staccato dots too, since this is really an extension of staccato playing, producing a very heavy sound on the bass |
|
jeté
|
"thrown"
bow
|
jeté
|
A controlled bouncing on the string | |
|
ricochet
|
ricochet
bow
|
ric
(sometimes with multiple dots over the note) |
An uncontrolled bouncing on the string | |
|
tremolo
|
rapid
up-down bows
|
 |
tremolo |
A measured tremolo subdivides the beat accurately according to the number of bars through the note stem. An unmeasured tremolo (usually indicated with the word trem) is a very rapid alternation of up and down bows. |
|
sul
G
|
played
on the G string
|
sul
G
|
sul A, D, G or C |
Played on a single string until otherwise indicated, thus sul G, sul D, sul A, sul E. Lends a particular colour to the timbre. |