[Listening extract, audio available. See printed QP for questions.] In an orchestral extract, the cellos play by plucking their strings. After eight bars, t...
Question 1 Report
[Listening extract, audio available. See printed QP for questions.]
In an orchestral extract, the cellos play by plucking their strings. After eight bars, they switch to using their bows.
(a) What is the technique used when the cellos pluck the strings. [1]
(b) What Italian term instructs the cellos to resume using the bow? [1]
[Total: 2 marks]
Answer Details
(a) Pizzicato [1]
Pizzicato (often abbreviated pizz.) is the technique of plucking the strings with the fingers rather than using the bow. On the cello, the player typically plucks the string with the index finger of the right hand. This produces a short, percussive, plucked tone that contrasts sharply with the sustained, singing quality of bowed playing. Pizzicato is widely used in orchestral and chamber music to provide rhythmic accompaniment, create textural variety, or add a lighter character to a passage.
(b) Arco [1]
Arco is the Italian term meaning "bow." When written in a score after a pizzicato passage, it instructs the string player to resume using the bow. This restores the normal sustained, legato playing style of the instrument. The transition from pizzicato to arco (or vice versa) is a common device for creating contrast in texture, volume, and tone colour within a string section. The instruction is necessary because once a player switches to pizzicato, they continue plucking until explicitly told to return to bowing.
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