{"id":11746,"date":"2023-07-17T13:18:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-17T13:18:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/main\/?p=11746"},"modified":"2023-07-17T15:00:03","modified_gmt":"2023-07-17T15:00:03","slug":"new-yorks-metropolitan-museum-acquires-of-one-of-worlds-only-17th-century-five-string-cellos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/main\/2023\/07\/17\/new-yorks-metropolitan-museum-acquires-of-one-of-worlds-only-17th-century-five-string-cellos\/","title":{"rendered":"New York\u2019s Metropolitan Museum Acquires Rare Five-String Cello"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Amati 17th Century Five-String Cello<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those who think they\u2019ve heard Bach\u2019s cello suites played with historical authenticity may want to make a trip down to New York\u2019s Metropolitan Museum of Art to see their newest musical acquisition.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s happening?<\/strong><\/p>\n

New York\u2019s Metropolitan Museum of Art has acquired a five-stringed cello made by the Italian luthier,Girolamo Amati<\/a> (1561-1630), c. 1610. The instrument is the only known five-string surviving cello in its original state from that period.<\/p>\n

What makes this cello so special?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Amati cello is connected to a musical dynasty.\u00a0 It hails from Cremona, Italy<\/a>, the birthplace of Stradivarius instruments, which was declared a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. Stradivarius studied with Girolamo Amati\u2019s son, Niccol\u00f2 Amati, and Girolamo\u2019s father, Andrea Amati (c. 1511-1580), is considered the inventor of the modern violin family.<\/p>\n

The cello acquired by the Met has a five-hole pegbox, short C-bouts and a processional hole on the back, suggesting it was likely played in a procession. (Read more on cello anatomy here<\/a>.) It was discovered at an auction in the 1960s with its fifth peg hole blanketed off. J.S. Bach famously wrote his Cello Suite no. 6 for the instrument.<\/p>\n

Where have I heard this before?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You probably haven\u2019t. However, in 2018, the 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason played a 1610 Amati cello<\/a> at the Royal Wedding. It had four strings, though.<\/p>\n

Hear cellist Keiran Campbell play Bach\u2019s 6th cello suite on the \u201cAmaryllis Fleming\u201d five-string Amati Brothers Piccolo Cello here:<\/p>\n