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ģīga
The ģīga or divstīdzis is a two-stringed bowed zither found in Latvia. The instrument is descended from the psalmodicon ( lv, vienstīdzis or ''manihorka''), a bowed monochord developed in Sweden in 1829 for liturgical singing. From there it filtered down to the Latvian peasantry who sometimes added a second string for harmony.Folklora.lv See also *Giga, a type of bowed lyre *Fiðla The ''Icelandic fiddle'' (Icelandic: fiðla fɪðla is a traditional Icelandic instrument that can be described as a box with two brass strings which is played with a bow. The strings stretch across one end of the box to the other where they ..., a bowed zither native to Iceland SourcesFolklora.lv References Latvian musical instruments Bowed box zithers {{zither-instrument-stub ...
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Psalmodicon
The psalmodicon (psalmodikon or salmodikon) is a stringed musical instrument; the most common variants have a single string. It was developed in Scandinavia for simplifying music in churches and schools, and as an alternative to the fiddle for sacred music. The instrument could be plucked or bowed. Beginning in the early 19th century, it was adopted by many rural churches in Scandinavia; later, immigrants brought the instrument to the United States. – "The psalmodicon was also used in Finland, in Estonia, and by the Scandinavian immigrants in North America. Dillner's pupil and colleague, Lars Paul Esbjörn, who emigrated from Sweden to America in 1849, took with him both instruments" At the time, many congregations could not afford organs. Dance instruments were considered inappropriate for sacred settings, so violins were not allowed. The psalmodikon, on the other hand, was inexpensive to build, was not used for dancing, took up little space, and could be played by people wi ...
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1991 CPA 6373
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Philippines, making it the second-largest volcanic eruption of the 20th century; MTS Oceanos sinks off the coast of South Africa, but the crew notoriously abandons the vessel before the passengers are rescued; Dissolution of the Soviet Union: The Soviet flag is lowered from the Kremlin for the last time and replaced with the flag of the Russian Federation; The United States and soon-to-be dissolved Soviet Union sign the START I Treaty; A tropical cyclone strikes Bangladesh, killing nearly 140,000 people; Lauda Air Flight 004 crashes after one of its thrust reversers activates during the flight; A United States-led coalition initiates Operation Desert Storm to remove Iraq and Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, 300x300px, thumb rect 0 0 200 200 1991 So ...
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Bowed String Instrument
Bowed string instruments are a subcategory of string instruments that are played by a bow rubbing the strings. The bow rubbing the string causes vibration which the instrument emits as sound. Despite the numerous specialist studies devoted to the origin of the bowing the problem of the origin of the bowing is unresolved Some say that the bow was introduced to Europe from the Middle East while others say the bow was not introduced from the Middle East but the other way round and that that the bow may have had its origin from a more frequent intercourse with North Europe and Western Europe List of bowed string instruments Violin family * Pochette * Violin (violino) * Viola (altviol, bratsche) * Cello (violoncello) * Double bass (contrabasso) ;Variants on the standard members of the violin family include: * Tenor violin * Five string violin * Cello da spalla * Baroque violin * Kontra * Kit violin * Sardino * Stroh violin * Låtfiol * Hardanger fiddle * Lira da bracc ...
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Zither
Zithers (; , from the Greek word ''cithara'') are a class of stringed instruments. Historically, the name has been applied to any instrument of the psaltery family, or to an instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin, flat body. This article describes the latter variety. Zithers are typically played by strumming or plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum. In the Hornbostel–Sachs classification system, the term refers to a larger family of similarly shaped instruments that also includes the hammered dulcimer family and piano and a few rare bowed instruments like the bowed psaltery, bowed dulcimer, and streichmelodion. Like an acoustic guitar or lute, a zither's body serves as a resonating chamber (sound box), but, unlike guitars and lutes, a zither lacks a distinctly separate neck assembly. The number of strings varies, from one to more than fifty. In modern common usage the term "zither" refers to three specific instruments: the concert zithe ...
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Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the Baltic states; and is bordered by Estonia to the north, Lithuania to the south, Russia to the east, Belarus to the southeast, and shares a maritime border with Sweden to the west. Latvia covers an area of , with a population of 1.9 million. The country has a temperate seasonal climate. Its capital and largest city is Riga. Latvians belong to the ethno-linguistic group of the Balts; and speak Latvian, one of the only two surviving Baltic languages. Russians are the most prominent minority in the country, at almost a quarter of the population. After centuries of Teutonic, Swedish, Polish-Lithuanian and Russian rule, which was mainly executed by the local Baltic German aristocracy, the independent R ...
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Monochord
A monochord, also known as sonometer (see below), is an ancient musical and scientific laboratory instrument, involving one (mono-) string ( chord). The term ''monochord'' is sometimes used as the class-name for any musical stringed instrument having only one string and a stick shaped body, also known as musical bows. According to the Hornbostel–Sachs system, string bows are bar zithers (311.1) while monochords are traditionally board zithers (314). The "harmonical canon", or monochord is, at its least, "merely a string having a board under it of exactly the same length, upon which may be delineated the points at which the string must be stopped to give certain notes," allowing comparison. A string is fixed at both ends and stretched over a sound box. One or more movable bridges are then manipulated to demonstrate mathematical relationships among the frequencies produced. "With its single string, movable bridge and graduated rule, the monochord (''kanōn'' reek: law stradd ...
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Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, Finland to the east, and is connected to Denmark in the southwest by a bridgetunnel across the Öresund. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic country, the third-largest country in the European Union, and the fifth-largest country in Europe. The capital and largest city is Stockholm. Sweden has a total population of 10.5 million, and a low population density of , with around 87% of Swedes residing in urban areas in the central and southern half of the country. Sweden has a nature dominated by forests and a large amount of lakes, including some of the largest in Europe. Many long rivers run from the Scandes range through the landscape, primarily ...
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Giga (instrument)
The giga was a type of bowed lyre, it was very popular especially in Norway, but also common to find in England, Iceland and Denmark.Otto Emanuel Andersson. ''The bowed-harp: a study in the history of early musical instruments''. AMS Press, 1973. , . Pg 25/ref> It is considered to be extinct; however there are some interesting reconstruction projects. The name does not originate from Latin, but rather derives from an old Viking word that meaning for "to vibrate", "to move in a fast way": this term is also the origin for the name of the dance called Jig that is very common in Northern Europe, especially in the British isles. Sources *Otto Emanuel Andersson. ''The Shetland Gue, the Welsh Crwth, and the Northern Bowed Harp''. Offprint from the ''Budkavlen'' 1954, nos. 1–4. Åbo: s.n., 195 See also *Ģīga The ģīga or divstīdzis is a two-stringed bowed zither found in Latvia. The instrument is descended from the psalmodicon ( lv, vienstīdzis or ''manihorka''), a bowed monoch ...
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Fiðla
The ''Icelandic fiddle'' (Icelandic: fiðla fɪðla is a traditional Icelandic instrument that can be described as a box with two brass strings which is played with a bow. The strings stretch across one end of the box to the other where they are tuned by two tuning pegs. In English, the Icelandic fiddle may be referred to as a fiddle or violin. It was known to be used in the medieval ages when the King of Sweden kept both fiddle and harp players in his court. The fiddle has also been seen in the medieval cathedral of Nidaros in Norway, where statues of people playing the fiddle are displayed. History The instrument was first introduced in a folktale in the 16th century, although it was not clearly described until the 18th century by Jón Ólafsson, who described the instrument as a cavernous box. Later in the 18th century, the Swedish explorer Uno von Troil visited Iceland in 1722, where he wrote about a langspil and fiddle and noted that both were played with bows. Disp ...
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Latvian Musical Instruments
Traditional Latvian music is often set to traditional poetry called ''Daina (Latvia), dainas'', featuring pre-Christian themes and legends, drone (music), drone vocal styles and Baltic psaltery. Dainas Traditional Latvian folklore, especially the dance of the folk music, folk songs, date back well over a thousand years. More than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 melodies of folk songs have been identified. Dainas are very short, usually only one or two stanzas, unrhymed and in a four-footed trochaic metre. Lyrically, dainas concern themselves with native mythology but, in contrast to most similar forms, do not have any legendary heroes. Stories often revolve around pre-Christian deities like the solar deity, sun goddess Saulė, Saule, the lunar deity, moon god Mēness and, most notably, the life of people, especially its three most important events - birth, wedding and death (including burial). The first collection of dainas was published between 1894 and 1915 as ''Daina (Latvia), ...
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