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Polish musical instruments

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…

Today, on August 20th, Hungarians celebrate Saint Stephen’s Day, which commemorates the foundation of Hungary. Stephen I, also known as King Saint Stephen, was the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians (between 997 and 1000) and the first King of Hungary (from 1000 until his death in 1038). August 20th is the greatest national holiday…

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.

Julian Milkis, a famous clarinet player, accompanied by a pianist Vadim Monastyrski, recently performed at the Summit Music Festival in Purchase, NY. As usual, the concert was a great success! Musicians performed the works of famous composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Ioseb Bardanashvili, Astor Piazzolla, Giya Kancheli.

The ney (Arabic ناي‎) is a flute, a woodwind musical instrument, which is mostly used by the peoples of the Caucasus, Western and Central Asia. The ney is one of the oldest musical instruments, which is still used, as it has been continuously played for approximately 5,000 years. For the first time it appeared in…

Did you know that Partida’s lead vocalist is a former vocalist of an Indie band from the Philippines? His band, Neruda, has performed all over the Philippines, appeared on MTV Philippines in shows like MTV Rockola and MTV Siesta. Their songs Reign and Take a Seat, Feel the Kick were broadcast on such radio stations…

Russian folk music is an integral part of Russian folk culture. As music instruments for a long period were suppressed in Russia (Tsar Alexis I of Russia banned the use of all musical instruments in 1648), in the middle of the XIX century a new type of songs emerged. Nowadays this type of songs is…

Hungarian folk music originated from the music of Asia, where the Finno-Ugric ancestors came from, and the music of the Slavic tribes. There are also influences of Gypsy music and, to a lesser extent, Turkish music. Among the researchers of Hungarian folk music, Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály played a major role. They both were…

We are happy to announce that Partida is releasing a full-length album in a month. This album will be available via Apple Music / Spotify. For more information, please visit their Facebook page: @partidamusic

The Canadian anthem was performed by an orchestra conducted by Joseph Vézina on June 24th, 1880 in Quebec for the first time. Then the anthem was in French and was called Chant National (Song of the Nation). The original version of the anthem was written by two Quebecers: Calixa Lavallée (music) and Sir Adolphe-Basile Routhier…

The buzuq (Arabic: بزق‎) is a long-necked fretted lute related to the Greek bouzouki and Turkish saz. The word buzuq comes from the Turkish language and literally means 'burnt head' or 'uprooted.' The buzuq is a hybrid instrument that is not classified among the classical instruments of Arab music. It has a long neck, small…

Upcoming Documentary about Giya Kancheli

On June 13th Julian Milkis was interviewed by Gregory Antimony, the host of the program “Interview Hour”. In the interview Julian was talking about Giya Kancheli, one of the most famous Georgian composers, who has the talent of expressing human feelings (such as faith, hope, grief, rage, loss) in his music, exclusively through the means…

Shereen Ladha officially joined the Ghoomar Gang.

Shereen Ladha recently announced that she officially joined the Ghoomar Gang. On her YouTube channel she posted a dance cover for Padmavat/Padmaavati, the story of honor, valor and obsession in medieval India. She created this video with other dancers as a tribute to the female warriors who gathered to make a turning point in the…

Arabic music puts an emphasis on melody and rhythm, as opposed to harmony. Some genres of Arabic music are polyphonic, but most of Arabic music is usually homophonic. The historical origins of Arabic music are extremely diverse. Early Arab musicians borrowed much from the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Sumerians. Many of the instruments now used are…

Exclusive video! In the video, Joseph Macerollo, famous Canadian accordionist, is talking about one of the participants of Russian Sounds of Canada Alexander Sevastian, who passed away on February 16th, 2018. Mr. Macerollo highly speaks of Mr. Sevastian, describes the first time they’ve met, and shares incredible facts of Mr. Sevastian’s personal and professional life.…

What is Okavango African Orchestra? Is it Eritrean? Zimbabwean? Senegalese? Burundian? Ghanaian? Or is it Madagascan? Actually, the orchestra is Eritrean, Zimbabwean, Senegalese, Burundian, Ghanaian, AND Madagascan. It is what its name says: African. A unique band of talented musicians from all parts of Africa, as diverse as Africa’s cultural mosaic itself, it’s a one-of-a-kind,…

Founders of the Canadian Arabic Orchestra

Fueled by their passion towards Arabic and Western classical music, Lamees Audeh and Wafa Al Zaghal have been building bridges between these two rich worlds; inviting and engaging Canadian Arab and non-Arab musicians who enjoy performing and exposing this beautiful music to the Canadian public in a new modern style. Lamees Audeh is a Canadian-Palestinian-Jordanian…

The first extant reference to a musical event in Toronto is an itemized account including '7 Dollars Paid musick by Order' for a ball and supper, 4 Jun 1798, to celebrate the king's birthday (from Canadian Encyclopedia).

The small Yukon hamlet of Snag recorded a temperature -62.8° C on February 3, 1947. It was so damn cold, in fact, the joke was that the meteorologists couldn’t toast the new record because their wine was frozen. The frigid air was so still that exhaled breath made a hissing noise and dogs could be…

Category Archives: Facts

Polish musical instruments

Chanting

Sarasvati vina

Sitar

Happy Saint Stephen’s Day!

Indian music

Summit Music Festival

Ney

Interesting Fact about Partida

Russian folk music

Hungarian folk music

Partida’s full-length album

O Canada

Arabic Musical Instruments – Buzuq

Upcoming Documentary about Giya Kancheli

Shereen Ladha officially joined the Ghoomar Gang.

Arabic music

Joseph Macerollo

Okavango African Orchestra

Founders of the Canadian Arabic Orchestra

First musical event in Toronto

CANADA’S COLDEST DAY

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