Category Archives: Facts

A banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane, made of plastic or animal skin, stretched over a frame to form a resonator. It was originally used in African-American traditional music and the folk culture of rural whites, later it was frequently used in traditional jazz. There are two techniques: “rolls” and “drones”, associated…

Flutes made of bones that date back 7,000 to 9,000 years were found in the Jiahu site of Central Henan province of China. A new category of musical instruments, electrophones or electronic instruments, was created in the twentieth century. Musical sounds are organized into patterns that have pitch and rhythm. The number of times the…

A Tin Whistle is a Celtic woodwind instrument with six holes. It’s one of the simplest of musical instruments, in physical terms. The first mass-production of tin whistles was set up in the 1840s by Robert Clarke, while the earliest examples of bone whistles dating from the 12th century were found in Dublin, Ireland.

Volynka is an ancient Ukrainian bagpipe. This music instrument was named after the region Volyn in Ukraine. Volynka consists of a goat skin air reservoir and metal or wooden pipes. There are two to four playing pipes. The main one has five to eight finger holes.

Gudok, also known as gudochek, is an ancient Slavic 3-string music instrument. It’s a bowl-like lyre, played with a bow. Unfortunately, there is no authentic Russian gudok nowadays. All present instruments are replicas, made with genuine parts found in Novgorod, Russia.

Amália Rodrigues, also known as Rainha do Fado (“Queen of Fado"), was a popular Portuguese fado singer. She was born on the 1st of July, 1920 in Lisbon, Portugal. During her career, she often toured abroad, popularizing fado worldwide. Her strong yet beautiful voice was adored by many. When she died on the 6th of…

Uma Casa Portuguesa by Amalia. The song conveys an atmosphere of modesty, warmth, and love felt within a Portuguese home. Ai Se Ele Cai by Xutos e Pontapés. The band is so popular among the Portuguese-speaking people, that people started calling it the Portuguese Rolling Stones. Ó Gente da Minha Terra by Mariza. The song…

Cegléd water jug is a 7-9 litre metal container for water, used as a musical instrument in Romani folk music of Hungary. This jug was first manufactured by a János Rónay in Cegléd in the 1910’s, and in the 1970’s it became a rhythm musical instrument among Romani. Károly Rostás ("Huttyán") was the first to…

Trembita, also known as alpine horn, is a wind folk music instrument, found mainly in the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine. Its sound is strong and can be heard over 10 kilometers, so it often served as a means of communication for people and herdsmen in isolated mountain areas. Sometimes Trembita is included in modern symphony orchestras…

Kobza is an ancient Ukrainian string instrument, which belongs to the lute family. Ukrainian musicians played on kobzas since the 11th century, although this music instrument became popular only in the 16th century, when kobza was used as an accompaniment to the recitation of dumas performed by kobzars.

Bodhran is a drum, originated in south-west Ireland in the 18th century. It was popular among mummers, or wren boys, as it was made from farm implements. Due to its popularity in 1960s, the bodhran was adopted in Scotland and also in Cape Breton, mainland Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Prince Edward Island.