The cello, otherwise known as a violoncello, is a bowed instrument with four strings. It’s a close cousin of the violin & viola and double bass.
The cello can be played as a solo instrument, as well as in chamber music ensembles, string orchestras, as a member of the string section of symphony orchestras, and some rock bands.
We have listed the greatest cellists of all time.
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich, a great cellist of the 20th century, was born in Baku Azerbaijan in 1927 to parents who were talented musicians. Before entering Moscow Conservatory to study cello at the age of 16, his parents trained him. He graduated from the conservatory in 1948, later becoming a professor in the same school.
Jacqueline du Pré
Born in Oxford in 1945, Jacqueline du Pré is a legendary cellist of the 20th century. While being there, she was shining by receiving all the school’s internal awards. Despite dying at 42, Jacqueline is known as a great romantic artist, and also the subject of a film named Hilary and Jackie.
Pablo Casals
Born in 1876 in Catalonia, Spain, Pablo Casals was a cellist and conductor, famous for his newly innovated technique and skilled interpretation of music. He was able to create an individual style with the help of his left hand, which he made more flexible to be able to use a freer bowing technique. Casals was known as a romantic for interpreting modernism in his own extraordinary way.
Yo-Yo Ma
Yo-Yo Ma is one of the brightest French-born American Chinese cellists. Born in 1955, Yo-Yo Ma started performing from the age of four and a half. Three years later, his family moved to New York, where he spent his schooling years. Instead of attending a conservatory as most of his friends, he decided to try himself at Harvard University and graduated in 1976 with a Liberal Arts degree.
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber, born in 1951, is a talented British cellist of our time. He is also performing as a conductor and currently is the principle of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. His most significant collaborations with various artists include Elton John and Cleo Lane. Later he even formed his ensemble.
Paul Tortelier
Paul Tortelier, a french cellist, born in 1914, was known for his elegant, emotional playing. His international career, perhaps, peaked when he played Don Quixote for a Richard Strauss festival in London in 1947, which he also performed under the composer himself. Tortelier died of a heart attack in 1990.
Arthur Russell
Born in 1951, Arthur Russell was a formally trained, talented cellist and composer from Iowa, United States. Having a background in Indian classical music, he is best known for beautifully combining different music genres like classical, folks, disco, rock. Throughout the 2000s, many books, compilations, and biographical documentaries were dedicated to him.
Luigi Boccherini
Luigi Boccherini was born in Lucca, Italy, in 1743, in a musical family. He was a talented composer and cello player who is best known for works that influenced the string quartet’s development as a musical genre.
Jacques Offenbach
Born in Germany, this French cellist and composer were famous during the Romantic Period of music. He went on to become one of the most celebrated cellists during the Romantic Period.
Tina Guo
One of the few living cellists on this list, Tina is only in her 30s and is on track to living a legend. She became playing cello when she was seven years old, and her parents forced her to practice for 6-8 hours a day. She has performed with famous musicians, including Carrie Underwood, Stevie Wonder, and Hans Zimmer.
