Genre with Cello. The cello or violoncello is a bowed string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C 2, G 2, D 3 and A 3, an octave lower than the viola. Music for the cello is generally written in the bass clef, with tenor clef and treble clef used for higher-range passages. Played by a cellist or violoncellist, it enjoys a large solo repertoire with and without accompaniment, as well as numerous concerti. The cello often plays the bass part, both in chamber music such as string quartets and the orchestra's string section, where the cello may be reinforced an octave lower by the double basses. Figured bass music of the Baroque-era typically assumes a cello, viola da gamba or bassoon as part of the basso continuo group alongside chordal instruments such as organ, harpsichord, lute or theorbo. Cellos are found in many other ensembles such as symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles. The name cello is derived from the ending of the Italian violoncello, which means little violone. Violone was a large-sized member of viol family or the violin family. The term violone today usually refers to the lowest-pitched instrument of the viols, a family of stringed instruments that went out of fashion around the end of the 17th century in most countries except England and, especially, France, where they survived another half-century before the louder violin family came into greater favour in that country as well. In modern symphony orchestras, it is the second largest stringed instrument. Thus, the name violoncello contained both the augmentative -one and the diminutive-cello. By the turn of the 20th century, it had become common to shorten the name to 'cello, with the apostrophe indicating the missing stem. It is now customary to use cello without apostrophe as the full designation. Viol is derived from the root viola, which was derived from Medieval Latin vitula, meaning stringed instrument. Cellos are tuned in fifths, starting with C 2, followed by G 2, D 3, and then A 3. It is tuned in the same intervals as the viola, but an octave lower. Unlike the violin or viola but similar to the double bass, the cello has an endpin that rests on the floor to support the instrument's weight. The instrument is a part of the standard orchestra, as part of the string section, and is the bass voice of the string quartet, as well as being part of many other chamber groups. Among the most well-known Baroque works for the cello are Johann Sebastian Bach's six unaccompanied Suites. From the Classical era, the two concertos by Joseph Haydn in C major and D major stand out, as do the five sonatas for cello and pianoforte of Ludwig van Beethoven. Other popular piece in the Romantic era include the Robert Schumann Concerto, the Antonín DvoÅ™ák Concerto as well as the two sonatas and the Double Concerto by Johannes Brahms. Compositions from the late-19th and early 20th century include Edward Elgar's Cello Concerto in E minor, Claude Debussy's Sonata for Cello and Piano, and unaccompanied cello sonatas by Zoltán Kodály and Paul Hindemith. Notable 20th century composers are Sergei Prokofiev Cello Sonata, Dmiry Kabalevsky Cello Concerto no.1 and no.2 Dmitri Shostakovich Cello Concerto no.1 and no.2, Benjamin Britten Solo Cello Suites, György Ligeti Cello Concerto, and Witold Lutoslawski Cello Concerto. Well-known cellists include Jacqueline du Pre, Raya Garbousova, Marina Teresova, Ruslan Biryukov, Alisa Weilerstein, Mstislav Rostropovich and Beatrice Harrison. Others include Anner Bylsma, Yo-Yo Ma, Pablo Casals, Julian Lloyd Webber, Alfred Wallenstein, Mischa Maisky and Gregor Piatigorsky. See the comprehensive list of cellists here. The violin family, including cello-sized instruments, emerged c. 1500 as family of instruments distinct from the viola da gamba family. The earliest depictions of the violin family, from northern Italy c. 1530, show three sizes of instruments, roughly corresponding to what we now call violins, violas, and cellos. Contrary to a popular misconception, the cello did not evolve from the viola da gamba, but existed alongside it for about two and a half centuries. The violin family is also known as the viola da braccio family, a reference to the primary way the members of the family are held. This is to distinguish it from the viola da gamba family, in which all the members are all held with the legs.