Entry · Thursday, June 18, 2026
Plate N., A concert cello offering substantial resonance and presence, viewed astern.
Photo by Dominik Scythe on Unsplash
Cello, Concert Solo
/CHEL-oh, KON-sert SOH-loh/ n.- 1. A bowed string instrument of substantial depth, whose lower bout presents a formidable expanse, especially when viewed from a raking angle in a concert hall setting.
- 2. colloq. The heavyweight champion of the string section: a statement piece that refuses to be ignored, even before the first note.
In a sentence,
"The cellist brought out a thiccc concert solo cello, and the orchestra pit suddenly seemed to have its own gravitational pull."
Etymology,
From Italian violoncello, a diminutive of violone, meaning 'large viola'. The diminutive suffix feels like a quaint understatement in hindsight.