Month: June 2021

The Electric Violin

The traditional violin, predominantly played in orchestras and chamber music, was developed in Italy in the early 16th century. The electric violin arrived 400 years later, first appearing in the jazz music of the 1920s in the US. Many electric violins have a solid body designed to minimize feedback and are made with built-in pickups for amplification, while others are acoustic instruments that have been converted with electric components. Who are some of the musicians who use electric violins? Discuss

orchestra

wind band – A band of wind instruments or a collective term for the wind instruments of an orchestra. More…

first chair – The premier musician playing a particular instrument in an orchestra—seated closest to the audience, taking the lead for that instrument’s movements, and playing any solos. More…

first violin – Leads the orchestra and plays notes in a higher range than second violins; parts for the first violin usually have more of the main tune and are technically more difficult to play. More…

orchestra – The earliest senses of orchestra were “the semicircular area for the chorus to dance in an ancient Greek theatre” and the art of dancing itself (from Greek orkheisthai, “to dance”). More…

The Assyrian Genocide

Before WWI, Assyrians, a largely Christian minority in the Islamic Ottoman Empire, were subject to violence and forcible conversion. Their plight worsened once war began. The Ottoman Turks, engaging in systematic ethnic cleansing, massacred Armenians and Assyrians. Contemporary reports placed the Assyrian death toll at 270,000, but the figure has since been estimated to be closer to 500,000, or even as high as 750,000. The Assyrian Genocide is also known as sayfo, which means what? Discuss

spinach

a la Florentine – Means with spinach. More…

leaf vegetables – Include cabbage and Romaine lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, endive, and cress. More…

rainbow rotelle – A combination of tomato, spinach, and regular twirl-shaped pasta in the colors of the Italian flag. More…

spinach – May come from Persian aspanakh/ispanak, perhaps related to the Latin spina, “spine,” because of its prickly seeds. More…

Human Towers of Valls

On St. John’s Day in the city of Valls in the Catalan region of Spain, a touring acrobatic company, or comparsa, presents the human tower of Valls. The acrobats form human towers or pyramids with four to six men at the base and one or more children at the top. The towers can extend to eight times a man’s height, and they are formed to the musical accompaniment of the gralla, or native oboe. There is a point during the performance at which the children on top salute, the music ceases, and the entire structure stands immobile for several seconds before collapsing gracefully to the ground. Discuss