The cello is the king of solo string literature. If the violin speaks, the cello sings. Bach in the six solo Cello Suites, Beethoven in his sonatas, Dvořák in the B-minor Concerto, Elgar in his E-minor Concerto — each found in this instrument the voice of the deepest reflection.
Construction: a body about 75 cm tall; the player sits and holds the cello between the knees, resting it on an endpin. Four strings (C-G-D-A, tuned in fifths an octave below the viola). Distinguished cellists of the 20th–21st centuries: Pablo Casals, Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline du Pré, Steven Isserlis. Ukrainian masters include Marharyta Ilchenko and Zoya Svystel.
