10 interesting facts about the cello

1. The cello is an instrument that can reproduce almost the entire range of the human voice. It covers 4 registers – bass, soprano, tenor and alto. A rich and soft tone adds to the similarity with the human voice.
2. At first, the cello was not supported by a steeple, but was located on a special chair. The large dimensions of the instrument do not allow you to hold it in your hands while playing. Therefore, the musicians held him with the calves of their legs, which created certain inconveniences. At the end of the 19th century, cellist Tortelier from France invented a device in the shape of a steeple.
   
3. Dupor’s cello today is the most expensive instrument in the world. It was created in 1711 by Antonio Stradivari and for many years belonged to the brilliant cellist Dupore. Later, the instrument began to be called by his name. In the 20th century, this cello was the jewel of Johann Knop’s collection, and then M. Rostropovich played it for 33 years.
4. Emperor Napoleon tried to learn to play the cello. There is a legend about the famous Dupore instrument that the great Bonaparte learned to play on it. The evidence of this fact is given by the scratches left by the emperor’s spurs.
5. Stradivari and Guarneri cellos lost to modern models at the Paris competition. Cellist Casals was asked to play in total darkness on 12 instruments, some of which were made by great masters, and others were made in a modern factory. The judges gave twice as many points to factory cellos.
6. There is a rock group that performs its repertoire on cellos and percussion instruments. Band music Apocalyptic (a combination of the words Apocalypse and Metallica) is heavy rock. It is hard to believe that the musicians use only 4 cellos and a drum kit.
7. For several centuries, tools were made only of wood. But in the 1930s, craftsmen from Alcoa and Pfretzschner began to produce them from aluminum. Nowadays, a small family company, L&C, specializes in making stringed musical instruments made of carbon fiber. There are also glass and even ice cellos.
8. Artist Julia Borden creates her amazing paintings on the surface of violins and cellos. She cannot explain why these tools inspire her to paint masterpieces. The woman says that they draw her to them like a magnet. At the beginning of the work, she removes the strings, cleans and primes the surface, on which she then paints abstract pictures.
9. To get into the Guinness Book of Records, South African cellist Karel Henn played the instrument without a break for 26 hours. This happened in 2014, after which no one could repeat and surpass his record.
10. Since the creation of the cello only men could play it. However, already at the beginning of the 20th century, women began to master the cello. But holding it between the legs was considered indecent at that time, so they placed the instrument on the side of themselves, which created additional inconveniences when playing.

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