The Baroque Cello Revival : An Oral History

Cellists play a variety of instruments that they call Baroque cellos, ranging from basically modern cellos with gut strings, a period bridge, and Baroque bow, to instruments where the entire set-up is altered. This is the first study in which the revival of a single period instrument has received such detailed consideration.

This resource considers the Baroque cello''s revival as part of the period instrument movement from the viewpoints of over forty cellists from three generations and four luthiers who have worked on period cellos. What emerges is a nuanced and detailed picture of the cello in the past and present and the varied instruments now played under the label "Baroque cello." Period instruments played with appropriate techniques have become a major presence in classical music in recent decades. For the cello, which changed substantially between the end of the sixteenth and early eighteenth centuries, it is challenging to describe specific traits for certain time periods, let alone how it was played in those periods. By chronicling the searches of over forty top cellists in England, Europe, and North America, the author goes far in revealing the great variety of forms that exist. This is the first study in which the revival of a single period instrument has been considered in such qualified detail and will be of great interest to musicologists, luthiers, and anyone interested in string history.