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Floodplain (Kronos Quartet Album)
''Floodplain'' is a studio album by the Kronos Quartet released in 2009. All twelve compositions were written or arranged for the quartet. Concept The Kronos Quartet have a long record of commissioning compositions and of collaborating with musicians from around the world. The compositions for this album, all written or arranged for the quartet, hail "from cultures based in areas surrounded by water and prone to catastrophic flooding," ranging from Egypt and Serbia in the west to India in the east; from Central Asia in the north to Ethiopia in the south. According to Nonesuch Records, "The album was inspired by the idea that floodplains...will experience new life after a catastrophe, just as cultures that undergo great difficulty will experience creative fertility." Compositions ''Floodplain'' contains twelve compositions, some newly written for the quartet, such as "Tashweesh," a collaboration with the Ramallah Underground and the long piece by Serbian composer Aleksandra Vrebalo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kronos Quartet
The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classical music. More than 900 works have been written for it. History The quartet was founded by violinist David Harrington in Seattle, Washington. Its first performance was in November 1973. Since 1978, the quartet has been based in San Francisco, California. The longest-running combination of performers (from 1978 to 1999) had Harrington and John Sherba on violin, Hank Dutt on viola, and Joan Jeanrenaud on cello. In 1999, Jeanrenaud left Kronos because she was "eager for something new"; she was replaced by Jennifer Culp, who, in turn, left in 2005 and was replaced by Jeffrey Zeigler. In June 2013, Zeigler was replaced by Sunny Yang. With over 40 studio albums to their credit and having performed worldwide, they have been called "probably ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Viola
; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family (violin, cello, double bass) *List of violists , articles= , sound sample = The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the violin family, between the violin (which is tuned a perfect fifth above) and the cello (which is tuned an octave below). The strings from low to high are typically tuned to C3, G3, D4, and A4. In the past, the viola varied in size and style, as did its names. The word viola originates from the Italian language. The Italians often used the term viola da braccio meaning literally: 'of the arm'. "Brazzo" was another Italian word ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balaban (instrument)
Balaban, or balaman ( az, Balaban – بالابان; fa, بالابان) is cylindrical-bore, double- reed wind instrument about long with eight finger holes and one thumb hole. This instrument is played in the eastern part of Iran's historic Azerbaijan region as well as in the Republic of Azerbaijan (where it is also called ''Düdük'' according to the '' Encyclopædia Iranica''). Balaban, Mey, and Duduk are almost identical, except for historical and geographical differences. Balaban can be made of mulberry or other harder woods, such as walnut. The bore through the instrument is about in diameter. The double reed is made out of a single tube of cane about six cm long and pressed flat at one end. The performer uses air stored in his cheeks to keep playing the balaban while he inhales air into his lungs. This “circular” breathing technique is commonly used with all the double-reed instruments in the Middle East. Balaban can be found in regions of the Republic o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tar (lute)
The tar (from fa, تار, lit=string) is a long-necked, waisted lute family instrument, used by many cultures and countries including Iran, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan (Iranian Plateau), Turkey, and others near the Caucasus and Central Asia regions.tar (musical instrument) Encyclopædia Britannica . Retrieved on 2013-01-01. The older and more complete name of the tār is ''čāhārtār'' or ''čārtār'', meaning in Persian "four string", (''čāhār'' frequently being shorted to ''čār''). This is in accordance with a practice common in Persian-speaking areas of distinguishing lutes on the basis of the number of strings originally employed. Beside the čā ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alim Qasimov
Alim Hamza oghlu Qasimov ( az, Alim Həmzə oğlu Qasımov; born August 14, 1957) is an Azerbaijani musician and one of the foremost mugham singers in Azerbaijan. He was awarded the International Music Council- UNESCO Music Prize in 1999, one of the highest international accolades for music. His music is characterized by his vocal improvisation and represents a move away from the traditional style of mugham. Qasimov has recorded nine albums, three of which are mugham albums with his daughter, Farghana Qasimova. According to '' The New York Times'', "Qasimov is simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation." He joined fellow Azerbaijani Sabina Babayeva on stage at the Grand Finale of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku to sing back vocals for her entry, "When the Music Dies." Additionally, Qasimov was featured as part of the opening act of the Grand Final. Early life Born in 1957, Q ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tapan (drum)
The davul, dhol, tapan, atabal or tabl is a large double-headed drum that is played with mallets. It has many names depending on the country and region. These drums are commonly used in the music of the Middle East and the Balkans. These drums have both a deep bass sound and a thin treble sound due to their construction and playing style, where different heads and sticks are used to produce different sounds on the same drum. Names Some names of davuls include: *''dhol'' ( hy, դհոլ) *''dawola/davola'' ( syr, ܛܲܒܼܠܵܐ) *''dohol'' ( fa, دهل dohol) *''doli'' ( ka, დოლი doli) *''davul'' ( tr, davul, lit=drum) *''dahol'' ( ku, dahol, sdh, Dîweł) *''davil'' ( ta, davil) *''davula'' ( Sinhala: දවුල) *''tupan'' ( Goranian: tupan) *''daul'', ''tǎpan'', ''tupan'' ( bg, тъпан, тупан) *''goč'', ''tapan'', ''tupan'' ( sr, гоч, тапан, тупан) *''tapan, tupan'' ( mk, тапан, тупан) *''tobă/dobă'' ( ro , tobă) *''tabl'' ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gusle
The gusle ( sr-cyrl, гусле) or lahuta ( sq, lahutë) is a single- stringed musical instrument (and musical style) traditionally used in the Dinarides region of Southeastern Europe (in the Balkans). The instrument is always accompanied by singing; musical folklore, specifically epic poetry. The gusle player holds the instrument vertically between his knees, with the left hand fingers on the strings. The strings are never pressed to the neck, giving a harmonic and unique sound. Singing to the accompaniment of the Gusle as a part of Serbia's intangible cultural heritage was inscribed in 2018 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity of UNESCO. Origin There is no consensus about the origin of the instrument. 6th-century Byzantine Greek historian Theophylact Simocatta ( 630) wrote about "small lyres" brought by the Slavs who settled the Balkans; some researchers believe that this might have been the gusle. Others, such as F. Sachs, beli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goblet Drum
The goblet drum (also chalice drum, tarabuka, tarabaki, darbuka, darabuka, derbake, debuka, doumbek, dumbec, dumbeg, dumbelek, toumperleki, tumbak, or zerbaghali; arz, دربوكة / Romanized: ) is a single-head membranophone with a goblet-shaped body. It is most commonly used in the traditional music of Egypt, where it is considered the National symbol of Egyptian Shaabi Music. The instrument is also featured in traditional music from West Asia, North Africa, South Asia, and Eastern Europe. The African djembe is also a goblet membranophone. This article focuses on the Middle Eastern and North African goblet drum. History The origin of the term ''Darbuka'' probably lies in the Arabic word "daraba" ("to strike"). Goblet drums have been around for thousands of years and were used in Mesopotamian and Ancient Egyptian cultures. They were also seen in Babylonia and Sumer from as early as 1100 BCE. On Sulawesi, large goblet drums are used as temple instruments and placed on t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scordatura
Scordatura (; literally, Italian for "discord", or "mistuning") is a tuning of a string instrument that is different from the normal, standard tuning. It typically attempts to allow special effects or unusual chords or timbre, or to make certain passages easier to play. It is common to notate the finger position as if played in regular tuning, while the actual pitch resulting is altered (scordatura notation). When all the strings are tuned by the same interval up or down, as in the case of the viola in Mozart's ''Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra'', the part is transposed as a whole. Bowed string instruments The invention of scordatura tuning has been attributed to Thomas Baltzar, a prodigious German violinist and composer who is known to have used the technique in around the 1660s, at least a decade before Biber composed his ''Rosary Sonatas'' in which he employed the tuning technique. Of course, German violinist Hans Hake (1628 – after 1667) includes th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Terry Riley
Terrence Mitchell "Terry" Riley (born June 24, 1935) is an American composer and performing musician best known as a pioneer of the minimalist school of composition. Influenced by jazz and Indian classical music, his music became notable for its innovative use of repetition, tape music techniques, and delay systems. His best known works are the 1964 composition '' In C'' and the 1969 LP '' A Rainbow in Curved Air'', both considered landmarks of minimalism and important influences on experimental music, rock, and contemporary electronic music. Raised in California, Riley began studying composition and performing solo piano in the 1950s. He befriended and collaborated with composer La Monte Young, and later became involved with the San Francisco Tape Music Center. A three-record deal with CBS in the late 1960s, resulting in an LP recording of ''In C'' (1968) and ''A Rainbow in Curved Air'' (1969), brought his work to wider audiences. In 1970, he began intensive studies under ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanpura (instrument)
The tanpura (), also referred to as tambura and tanpuri, is a long-necked plucked string instrument, originating in India, found in various forms in Indian music. It does not play melody, but rather supports and sustains the melody of another instrument or singer by providing a continuous harmonic bourdon or drone. A tanpura is not played in rhythm with the soloist or percussionist: as the precise timing of plucking a cycle of four strings in a continuous loop is a determinant factor in the resultant sound, it is played unchangingly during the complete performance. The repeated cycle of plucking all strings creates the sonic canvas on which the melody of the raga is drawn. The combined sound of all strings–each string a fundamental tone with its own spectrum of overtones–supports and blends with the external tones sung or played by the soloist. Hindustani musicians favour the term ''tanpura'' whereas Carnatic musicians say ''tambura''; ''tanpuri'' is a smaller va ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wu Man
Wu Man (; b. Hangzhou, Zhejiang, January 2, 1963) is a Chinese pipa player and composer. Trained in Pudong-style pipa performance at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, she is known for playing in a broad range of musical styles and introducing the pipa and its Chinese heritage into Western genres. She has performed and recorded extensively with Kronos Quartet and Silk Road Ensemble, and has premiered works by Philip Glass, Lou Harrison, Terry Riley, Bright Sheng, Tan Dun, Zhao Jiping, and Zhou Long, among many others. She has recorded and appeared on over 40 albums, five of which have been nominated for Grammy Awards. In 2013, she was named Instrumentalist of the Year by ''Musical America'', becoming the first performer of a non-Western instrument to receive this award. She also received The United States Artist' Award in 2008. Biography Born in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Wu Man began taking pipa lessons at age 9. When universities opened their doors to new students in 19 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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