sul ponticelloadv.adj.n.
A. adv.
As a musical direction: with the bowing close to the bridge.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > written or printed music > directions > [adverb] > for strings
spiccato1724
arco1806
sul ponticello1849
ponticello1883
sul tasto1946
1849 Hamilton's Celebrated Dict. 112 Sul ponticello, on or near the bridge.
1924 Musical Times 65 1101/2 Technically, he directs the violinist to play sul ponticello.
2005 Amer. Rec. Guide (Nexis) 1 Jan. 76 He sometimes inserts his own individual touches, as in the Fugue in Sonata 1 where he plays one passage sul ponticello.
B. adj.
Designating the sound produced by bowing close to the bridge.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing stringed instrument > [adjective] > played with bow > specific technique
spiccato1724
sul ponticello1910
1910 Times 29 Nov. 12/6 They brought out all the glittering ‘sul ponticello’ and ‘pizzicato’ effects in the last movement, but afterwards they seemed to have little relish for the deeper qualities of Schumann's quintet.
1991 Gramophone Jan. 1369/1 The intense nocturnal rustlings of sul ponticello strings, the primitive chanting of close-harmony trumpets, and later the haunting Magyar melismas..that come and go between festive brass.
2002 Music Mag. (Nexis) 1 Dec. 84 Its recourse to extremes of pianissimo (that sul ponticello passage is a case in point), strikes me as somewhat fussy and over-sophisticated.
C. n.
A style of playing the violin, cello, etc., in which the bow is played close to the bridge; an example of this.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > playing stringed instrument > [noun] > bowing > manner of bowing
bow-hand1668
bowing1838
ponticello1847
spiccato1964
sul ponticello1964
1964 Times 31 Oct. 5/4 A brilliantly effective use of sul ponticello.
2003 Nelson Mail (New Zealand) (Nexis) 25 Jan. 12 The feathery silver sparkle of the final Sul Ponticello closed this fascinating work.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1982; most recently modified version published online November 2010).
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adv.adj.n.1849