In the main, the violoncello is played like the violin and viola, that is to say the player has to make all his notes on the fingerboard; and he can also produce harmonics on the open strings and artificial harmonics by stopping the string at certain places. He sometimes stops these by placing his thumb on the string,—something the violinist never does. Of course, as the instrument is held in the reverse way from a violin, the high notes are the farthest away from the player. He plays _from_ himself, not _towards_ himself. Lavignac writes: “The functions of the Violoncello in the Orchestra are manifold. Usually it gives, reinforced by the double-bass, the bass of the harmony. This is its natural work. But sometimes the singing-part is committed to it,—when, losing its austerity, it becomes a ravishing instrumental tenor, of pure, warm _timbre_, ecstatic or passionate, but always distinguished and captivating. Its rapid and light utterance, the frequent passage from natural notes to harmonics imitating the alterations of chest and head notes complete its resemblance to the human voice. Moreover, the violoncello, though moving in another region and awakening other sensations, possesses a richness of varied tones almost as extensive as that of the violin; and its _pizzicati_ are better and less dry than those of the violin.” Regarding the team-work of the violoncello in the Orchestra, Berlioz said: “Violoncellos together to the number of eight, or ten, are essentially melodious; their quality on the upper strings is one of the most expressive in the Orchestra. Nothing is more voluptuously melancholy or more suited to the utterance of tender, languishing themes than a mass of violoncellos playing in unison upon their first string. They are also excellent for airs of a religious character. The two lower strings, C and G, especially in keys which permit the use of them as open strings, are of a smooth and deep sonorousness; but their depth hardly ever permits a composer any melodies. These are usually given to the upper strings.” CHAPTER IV THE DOUBLE-BASS _Strings and compass of the double-bass; double-bass a descendant of the violone; voice of the double-bass; how Gluck, and Mozart treated the double-bass; Beethoven makes the double-bass a solo instrument; Verdi’s use of the double-bass in “Otello”; Wagner’s part for the double-bass in “Die Meistersinger”; Dragonetti and Bottesini; double-basses by the Cremonese makers._ The double-bass plays the lowest notes of all the Strings. It _doubles_, that is to say, it plays in the lower octave the bass part given to the bass voice, whether this be the violoncello, bassoon, or any other instrument. Its strings are E, A, D and G. They are very coarse, thick and heavy. The music for the double-bass is written in the F, or Bass, Clef, an octave above the real sound of the notes. This is done to avoid the use of the ledger lines.