Cindy Chamberlain, age 11, of Springfield, Mass., for her question:

WHERE AND WHEN WAS THE FIRST CELLO MADE?

The first cello was made by members of the Amati family in Cremona, Italy, during the 1500s. This family made the first great modern violins and trained the masters who were to come later: Antonio Stradivari and Andrea Guarneri.

The cello is a bass stringed instrument that is played with a bow.

It resembles the shape of a violin but is much larger. The cello stands about four feet long and is about a foot and a half wide. It has four strings that are an octave lower in pitch than those of the viola.

A player rests the cello on the floor and against his knees.

The cello became popular as a solo instrument in the late 1600s. It has an extremely rich, deep tone.