Summary: Though the violins of Antonio Stradivarius and Guarneri del Gesu remain the gold standard for concert musicians, their prices-often in the millions-and their scarcity place them beyond the use of all but a handful of soloists. This NewsHour program looks at Samuel Zygmuntowicz, the master violin-maker whose replicas and original designs fetch
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Since India's ancient times, music has been considered a potent vehicle for attaining nirvana, spiritual salvation. This intriguing program provides an overview of the history of Indian classical music, from its divine origins to the present day, showcasing popular stringed, wind, and percussion instruments such as the sitar, sarangi, veena, tambora, and sarod; the flute, shehnai, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The biwa, a pear-shaped, wooden lute, is played using a triangular plectrum. With no structured tuning, the instrument is adjusted to complement the player's voice, allowing for a highly personalized music. This program showcases the sounds of one of Japan's oldest stringed instruments through performances by Yoshiko Sakata, a noted biwa player and composer who plays both traditional songs and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: The roots and foreign branches of the guitar-family tree. The program looks at the more important of the many relatives of this instrument.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: No other instrument has been as important to the history of Western music as the piano. Since its invention in Florence three hundred years ago, the piano has become many things to many people-a bridge between the worlds of classical and popular music and the ultimate composer's companion. This program traces the ancestry of the instrument and the history of those composers who championed its...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006