Category Archives: Facts

The Ōtsuzumi (大鼓), also known as the Ōkawa (大皮) or as a hip drum, is an hourglass-shaped Japanese drum. This musical instrument is commonly used in Noh, Nagauta, Geza, etc. The Ōtsuzumi is made of a cherry wood attached to the drum skin by iron rings. The drum is usually placed on the left thigh…

The music of Portugal has much in common with the music of Spain. The main reason for this is the influence of the ancient cultures of the East (Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians) on the formation of the musical culture of Lusitania (an ancient Iberian Roman province located where most of modern Portugal and part of western…

Noh (能) or nōgaku (能楽) music is one type of Japanese theatrical music. Kan'ami Kiyotsugu and his son Zeami Motokiyo are considered to be the founders of the school of Noh theater. Instruments used in Noh include the taiko (太鼓) stick drum, a big drum called the ōtsuzumi (大鼓), a smaller drum called the kotsuzumi…

We would like to remind you that Nagata Shachu will perform at Nuit Blanche Toronto tomorrow, September 29th, from 8:30 PM to 10:30 PM and from 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Nuit Blanche Toronto is a free sunset-to-sunrise event, suported by the City of Toronto in collaboration with Toronto’s arts community. This is not only…

Ligawka is a wooden horn, it is one of the oldest Polish instruments. It can be from 1  to 4.5 meters long and is a slightly conical. In the past ligawka was used as a signal (when shepherds needed to keep a herd of sheep, goats, or cattle together) or ceremonial (including in a funeral…

Tony Gouveia is a famous fado singer based in Kitchener, ON. Tony was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and moved to Canada when he was 13 years old. Here in Canada he continued his family tradition – singing fados, Portuguese traditionally structured songs on various topics. Tony’s first debut fado work “O Nosso Fado” was released…

There is a huge variety of musical instruments in Polish musical culture. Some of these music instruments' names are as bizarre as their sounds are unique. Ligawka, Hurdy-Gurdy, Cart Rattle, Devil’s Fiddle, Burczybas, Pedal Accordion are among these musical instruments, which make Polish folk music so special.

The first people who settled in Canada, the First Nations, have their own unique musical traditions. One of them is producing melodic sounds with their voices accompanied with a variety of musical instruments. This is called chanting.

The Saraswati veena or Sarasvati vina (Sanskrit: सरस्वती वीणा) is an Indian plucked string instrument. It is the most frequently used and the most important solo instrument in Carnatic Indian classical music. This musical instrument is named after the Hindu goddess Saraswati, who is usually depicted holding or playing the instrument.

The sitar (Sanskrit: सितार) is a plucked stringed instrument mostly used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument is named after a Persian instrument called the setar, which means three strings. The sitar, as it is now, has been widely used in India since the 18th century. In the late 1950s and 1960s it gained popularity…

There are two major traditions of Indian classical music – Hindustani music of North India and Karnatak music of South India. Both traditions use the system of ragas for melody construction and tala for rhythm. Meanwhile, the main difference between these two traditions is the influence of Persian music and musical instruments in the north.