Kontra
A kontra is a Hungarian (Hungarian: háromhúros brácsa, ‘three-stringed viola’), Romanian, Slovak and Romani instrument common in Transylvania.
Construction
The kontra is constructed much like the classical viola, with two major differences. First, there are only three strings instead of four. Second, the bridge is flattened, allowing a musician to play all three strings at once.
Tuning
The kontra is tuned like a viola, though lacking its low C string: G-D-A.
Technique
Due to the flattened bridge, a kontra is not as capable of playing melody lines as a viola. Rather, the standard method of play is to play double stops and three-note chords and let the fiddle play melody lines.
Ensemble Playing
The kontra has a defined role within dance band music. Its range lies between that of the fiddle or Vioara cu goarnă on the high-end and the double bass on the low-end. Many Romanian and Hungarian bands also feature the cimbalom or citera, clarinet, accordion, and Ütőgardon or cello.
See also
Kontra (album)
Kontra is the fourth studio album by Basque metal band Eraso! and the first one with new member Ander Izeta. It was released on December 4, 2005.
Track listing
References
http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/album-groupe-Eraso-nom_album-Kontra-l-en.html
Erika
Erika may refer to
See also
Erika (moth)
Erika is a genus of moths in the family Lymantriidae.
References
Erika (song)
"Erika" (or "Auf der Heide blüht ein kleines Blümelein" ("On the Heath a Little Flower Blooms") is a marching song of the German military. The song was composed by Herms Niel in the 1930s, and it soon came into usage by the Wehrmacht, especially the Heer and, to a lesser extent, the Kriegsmarine. The theme of the song is based on "Erika" being both a common German female first name and the name of the heath plant Erica. In itself, the song has no military themes, beyond the fact that the narrator (evidently a soldier, though this is not explicitly stated) is away from his beloved and recalls her when seeing the plant which has the same name.
Origins
The lyrics and melody of the song were written by Herms Niel, a German composer of marches. The exact year of the song's origin is not known; often the date is given as "about 1930," a date that, however, has not been substantiated. The song was originally published in 1938 by the publishing firm Louis Oertel in Großburgwedel. It was a great success even before the start of World War II. Niel, who joined the NSDAP in early May 1933 and became a leading Kapellmeister at the Reichsarbeitdienst, created numerous marches that largely served the National Socialist propaganda campaigns. In particular the Reichspropagandaminister Joseph Goebbels, noticed early that down-to-earth, simple songs were a useful propaganda tool.
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