Cellos

As Printed on a Score

Labels the cello section’s staff (Cellos, or the older Violoncellos and Violoncelli; Vcs. later), usually directly above the double basses. A single player is marked Solo or 1 Vc., and in Classical scores one staff may serve cellos and basses together until they are named apart.

Abbreviations: Vcs.

Also spelled: Cello

How Composers Use It

Bass clef at sounding pitch, moving to tenor and treble clef for the upper register. The A string sings like a tenor voice, the C string gives a dark foundation, and doubling the basses an octave above gives the bass line definition. Divide the section for rich low harmony, and say when you want only a few players: thinning to a small group changes the colour more than the volume.

Example

Tchaikovsky, 1812 Overture, Op. 49, solo cello part, m. 1: the footnote asks, “If the makeup of the orchestra allows,” for the opening to be played “by 8 cellos and 4 violas, 2 on each part.”

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