Cello Greats
History of the Cello
Prof. Tetel
Name that Piece
Finish Tetel's sentence
100

The cellist with the most Grammy awards.

Who is Yo-Yo Ma?

Yo-Yo has won 19 Grammys to date.

100

The material used on the earliest cello strings.

What is treated sheep/goat gut strings? 

Metal wound strings were invented as early as the 17th century, but it wasn't until after WWI that they became increasingly standard.

100

The Elgar Enigmatic pet that is Professor Tetel's favorite dog breed.

What is the American Bulldog?

100

The composer and title of recording 1.

What is Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor (1st movement)?

100

The complete phrase:

"Stay _____!"

What is "stay sober"?

200

Two classical composers of any era who also played cello.

Who are Luigi Boccherini, Jacques Offenbach, Johannes Brahms, Arnold Schoenburg, Gregor Piatigorsky, David Popper, Jean-Baptiste Breval...?


200

The European country credited as the birthplace of the violoncello.

Where is Italy?

The first cello was crafted in the 16th century.

200

One of Professor Tetel's greatest baking achievements.

What is bread, bagels or baguettes?

200

The composer and title of recording 2.

What is Ludwig Van Beethoven's Sonata No.3 for Cello and Piano in A major (1st movement)?

200

The complete phrase:

"A new world ______".

What is "a new world premier"?

300

Soviet cellist whose musical studies were interrupted by 4 months imprisonment and 14 months of forced labor in a gulag.

Who is Misha Maisky?

Misha was redeeming questionable coupons for a replacement recording device for his lessons with Rostropovich.

300

The century that the cello endpin “peg leg” was introduced.

What is the 18th century?

The earliest endpins were made of wood, hence the name "peg leg".

300

The continent from which Professor Tetel’s favorite food is from.

Where is Africa?


Professor Tetel's favorite cuisine is Ethiopian.

300

The composer and title of recording 3.

What is Franz Joseph Haydn's Cello Concerto No.1 C major (3rd movement)?

300

The complete phrase:

"I _____ use an iPad."

What is "I would never use an iPad"?

400

The piece that Jacqueline Du Pre performed in NYC 1973 with Pinchas Zuckerman and Leonard Bernstein as her last cello performance.

What is Brahms Double Concerto for Violin and Cello?

Jacqueline performed 4 shows of the Brahms, despite the sensory numbness she was experiencing with her MS.

400

The translation of the cello’s full name “violoncello” in Italian.

What is 'Little Big Viola'?

Violone "Big Viola" Was the early name for the double bass. The suffix -one means "big", and the suffix -ello means "little". Seeing as the cello was smaller than the bass/big viola, the diminutive was added to make it the little big viola.

400

The number of photos on Professor Tetel’s 'wall of shame' in his studio. 

What is 180 photos?

400

The composer and title of recording 4.

What is J.S. Bach's Suite No. 6 in D major for Unaccompanied Cello (Movement V. Gavotte No. 1)?

400

The complete phrase:

"If not practicing, I'd rather be _____."

What is "If not practicing, I'd rather be fishing"?

500

The cellist of the "Million Dollar Trio" alongside Rubinstein and Heifetz.

Who is Gregor Piatigorsky?

Gregor and his wife also loved chess, and together in 1963 they organized an international chess tournament in Los Angeles.

500

The first known cello maker of the 16th century.

Who is Andrea Amati?

Between 3-5 cellos made by Andrea Amati (1505-1577) still exist. The oldest known surviving cello made 1538 and 1560 is currently on display at the National Music Museum in South Dakota and is known as ‘The King’.

500

The composer of 9 COMPLETED symphonies who wrote the Adagietto of Symphony No.5 that is one of Professor Tetel’s favorite pieces of music.

Who is Gustav Mahler?

500

The composer and title of recording 5.

What is Zoltan Kodaly's Sonata for Solo Cello (Movement 1)?

500

The complete phrase:

"If I wasn't a cellist, I would be ______."

What is "If I wasn't a cellist, I would be in finance/investing"?