The two new Violoncellos da Spalla by D. Rickert are available for order now at the Don Rickert Musician Shop.
For details about each instrument, including options and pricing, you will want to visit the product descriptions at the Don Rickert Musician Shop:
Introduction
We recently introduced two new instruments, the Baroque Violoncello da Spalla and the Cello da Spalla Moderno. This was in response to a significant increase in the number of inquiries about these amazing baritone range instruments. Response has been incredible. We are currently building four of these instruments for customers.
The “Baroque” model is a faithful reconstruction of an 18th Century violoncello Spalla, specifically the instrument by Johann Christian Hoffmann (1732), as specified by Dmitry Badiarov. Its price is $7500. The “Moderno” model is a modern take on the original design. Its price is $6500. There are numerous options for each of the two instruments.
So, what is a Violoncello da Spalla?
The violoncello da spalla (Italian for “cello of the shoulder”) was, until fairly recently, a 5-string instrument of the violin family from the Baroque period that had fallen into obscurity. It is a small instrument, about the size of a modern 1/10 size cello, that is tuned to C, G, d, a, e’ (i.e. like a cello with an additional string on the treble side that is tuned to e’, which is an octave lower than the e” string on a violin). If comparing it to a violin, the violoncello da spalla is rather large; about the size of a huge viola, but twice as deep.
In fact, the Violoncello da Spalla has more than twice the internal air volume of a typical octave viola or “chin cello”. In other words, it is large enough to produce a powerful and full-bodied baritone roar far exceeding the sound output of even the most sonorous chin cellos (one of those laws-of-physics things).
How is it played?
The violoncello da spalla has been described as a bass for violinists. Unlike the modern “chin cello”, a.k.a. the octave viola, which is played under the chin (see image below),
the violoncello da spalla is held across the chest, secured with a strap around the shoulder and neck, as you can see in in the photo below of Dmitry Badiarov, a leading figure in the current revival of the instrument. It is this method of holding the instrument to which the “da spalla” in its name refers. “Da spalla” (pronounced in English exactly as it looks—da-spal-la, NOT da-spa-ya!) is Italian for “of the shoulder”. Violins and violas are played “da braccio”, which means “of the arm”.
One would have to be an incredibly large person to play it comfortably under the chin as one plays a violin or viola!
The Two New Instruments Side by Side
As stated in the Introduction, the Baroque Violoncello da Spalla meticulously replicates a Baroque instrument; whereas, the Cello da Spalla Moderno is a modern interpretation designed for contemporary players, particularly fiddlers, violinists and violists performing in traditional, folk, and any number of alternative genres. Both instruments are tuned the same way, which is like a cello but with an e’ string on the treble side. They, at first glance, look pretty much the same. Indeed, they do have identical bodies that are about 18” long with 3” ribs, so what are the actual differences?
To help understand the differences, the key words to keep front of mind are the terms “baroque” and “modern”. As with violins, violas and full-size cellos, a violoncello da spalla in true Baroque configuration will differ in significant ways from one in modern configuration. The most important differences have to do with the neck set, fingerboard, tailpiece, tailgut, string composition and to a lesser extent, the saddle and bridge. The strings may or may not be different, as many musicians playing otherwise “baroque” instruments choose to use modern strings and even state-of-the-art internally-geared tuning pegs that look essentially like old style wooden pegs.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, for details about each instrument, you will want to visit the product descriptions at the Don Rickert Musician Shop:
Summary of Differences Between the Baroque Violoncello da Spalla and the Cello da Spalla Moderno by D. Rickert
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Baroque Violoncello da Spalla
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Cello da Spalla Moderno
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Neck Set
(See illustration below.)
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Less acute angle at the body
Very little rise above the body
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More acute angle at the body
Substantial rise above the body
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Vibrating string length
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About 16.65” (423mm)—like a small cello
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About 15.5” (394mm)—like a large viola
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Fingerboard
(See illustration below.)
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“Wedged” to compensate for shallow neck angle and lack of rise
Spruce core with veneers of ebony and/maple, per Baroque practice
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“Modern” fingerboard
Solid ebony
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Tailpiece
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Maple base w/ veneer(s) to match the fingerboard
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Solid ebony
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Tailgut
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Twisted gut
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Nylon, stainless steel or Kevlar™
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Saddle
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Ebony or synthetic ivory w/ no rise (essentially flush with edge of the body)
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Ebony w/ significant rise
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Bridge
(See illustration below.)
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Baroque style “fanned” bridge
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Baroque style “fanned” bridge
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Strings
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Gut or custom-gauged wound synthetic core
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Modern Octave Viola Strings
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Tuning Pegs
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Traditional ebony or, optionally, Wittner planetary if synthetic core strings are used
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Wittner planetary
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Notes and Elaboration on Specific Differences
Neck Set
Angle
It is commonly held myth that violin family instruments of the Baroque period all had necks with little or no “angle back” (88 degrees to 90 degrees at the heel). See the illustration below, which shows the “ideal” Baroque cello vs. a modern cello.
In reality, many Baroque violin family instruments, especially cellos, had necks with rather acute heel angles, some even in the low-80s, just like modern instruments. In any case, the surviving violoncellos da spalla of the early 18th Century have necks that are angled back almost as much as a modern cello. Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla replicates a near-modern neck angle of about 84 degrees. Our Cello da Spalla Moderno, on the other hand, has a modern neck angle of 83 degrees.
Rise
Neck rise, also known as “over-stand” is illustrated in the image above. Our Cello da Spalla Moderno has a neck rise of about 15mm, which is consistent with a modern cello of its body size. Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla has a very low over-stand of about 7mm, per Baroque practice.
Neck Length and Vibrating String Length
Neck length
The “ideal” neck lengths for violin family instruments made in relatively recent history are determined, more or less, by specific proportions in relationship to instrument bodies. For cellos of any size, the ratio of the neck length to “stop distance” is 7:10 (70%). For violas and violins, that ratio is 2:3 (about 66.33%). The ratios determining neck length were not as standardized during the Baroque period as they are today. In general, Baroque period necks were shorter than those of modern instruments. The image below shows from where measurements for neck length and stop distance are taken.
An important take-away is the neck for a large viola with the same stop distance as a small cello will have a shorter neck. In practice, the necks of very large violas can be substantially shorter than 66% of the stop distance. The necks of violas, especially older large ones can be as short as 60% of the stop distance.
Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla has a longer neck than the Cello da Spalla Moderno; just over 1 inch longer. The Baroque model replicates the necks on the 18th Century instruments on which it is based. Its neck length is proportionately equivalent to modern cellos. The Moderno model, on the other hand, has a neck length closer to what one might expect on a viola with an equivalent body length (i.e. shorter than a cello neck). This allows the use of standard modern octave viola strings.
Vibrating string length
All other variables being held constant, a longer neck results in a longer vibrating string length. As shown in the Summary above, our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla has a vibrating string length of about 16.65” (423mm); whereas, the Cello da Spalla Moderno’s vibrating string length is about 15.5” (394mm).
Fingerboard
Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla has a proper baroque fingerboard, as detailed below. Our Cello da Spalla Moderno has a modern ebony fingerboard or a “semi-baroque” fingerboard of ebony over maple.
Fore-Aft Shape (i.e. fingerboard wedge)
A violin, viola or cello in Baroque configuration is often described as having a “wedge” between the fingerboard and the neck. Actually, the “wedge” is not a separate piece but, rather, is part of the fingerboard. See the image below.
The purpose of the fingerboard wedge is to allow for a bridge that is high enough for good sonority. Remember that there is less neck rise and less neck angle back on an instrument in Baroque configuration.
Neck Materials and Construction
While actual baroque period fingerboards cut from a single piece of ebony or maple wood are not unheard of, many, if not most baroque violin family instruments had composite (aka veneered) fingerboards. See the images below.
A Baroque composite fingerboard consists of a core of spruce, with thick veneers (3.5mm to 4.5mm) of either figured maple or ebony glued to the sides. A thinner veneer of either ebony or maple is glued to the top arched part. Often the top veneering employs various decorative marquetry techniques using at least two types of wood, or at least simple decorative purfling.
Tailpiece
Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla has a baroque tailpiece, as described below. Our Cello da Spalla Moderno has a modern ebony fingerboard or a “semi-baroque” tailpiece of ebony over maple.
A baroque tailpiece, often decorated to match the fingerboard, generally has more of a square-edged shape than a modern tailpiece. See the illustrations below.
Tailgut
The most significant difference between baroque and a modern tailpiece is the attachment method. Thick gut cord is threaded through two holes through the tailpiece near its base. The cord is either knotted or the two ends are joined using a technique known today as the “Stradivari stitch”. The images below show tail guts tied in this manner.
Saddle
Typically, a baroque violin, viola or cello has no saddle per se, but rather an insert of bone, maple or ebony in the same place a modern raised saddle would go. The baroque insert can be thought of as a very low saddle. The rather stiff 3mm diameter (on average) tail gut cord ends protruding from the bottom of the tailpiece serve to raise the tailpiece substantially.
Bridge
Our Baroque Violoncello da Spalla and Cello da Spalla Moderno share the same bridge. See the image below.
Strings
The Baroque Violoncello da Spalla is can use any combination of period gut or modern synthetic strings. The Cello da Spalla Moderno is made to use octave viola strings (SuperSensitive Sensicore). It is NOT optimized for gut strings.
Tuning Pegs
The standard tuning pegs for the Cello da Spalla Moderno are Wittner FineTune™ planetary pegs. The standard pegs for the Violoncello da Spalla are baroque type wooden pegs; however, it can be fit with Wittner pegs. The Wittner pegs are not suitable for period gut strings.
