Note: There is an updated version of this article entitled, Octave Violin or Violoncello da Spalla? You might find it strange that I am asking this question. After all, I am a luthier who makes violoncellos da spalla. Should I not just be happy when someone wants me to make one for them? Donald Rickert, Ph.D., IDSA Email: [email protected] Phone: (706) 896-0909 (main); (706) 400-1481 (mobile) Caveats Before you read this, you need to know the following: I am not playing “devil’s advocate” here. I am quite serious in asking the question. I am not a violoncello da spalla “hater” or even a violoncello da spalla skeptic. I do not care whether or not J.S. Bach actually had a hand in the invention of the violoncello da spalla or whether the instrument was actually a thing in the 18th Century. I do think that is cool, however, that Bach might have been involved. Likewise, I do not care whether the violoncello da spalla is a “21st Century aberration”. Whether it is or not is simply irrelevant, although I think that it is rather rude to call it such. Regardless of its actual use in the 1700s, the violoncello da spalla has a real place in the contemporary performance of Baroque Period repertoire. I build instruments for a living and one of my favorite instruments to make is the violoncello da spalla. My violoncellos da spalla are played by some of the preeminent players of the instrument. Just remember what I... Read more →