The
Music of Austrian Hearts
One
of the most popular musical instruments in Austria is the zither. It
is admired and loved by everyone.
There
are two main types of zithers, the concert zither and the
Alpine zither. The concert zither has between 29 and 35
strings, and the Alpine zither has 42 strings.
The
concert zither is mainly played in classical music, and the
instrument has a prominent solo in one of Johann Strauss's most
famous waltzes, Tales from the Vienna Woods.
But,
of course, it is the Alpine zither with its traditional sound which
makes it the heart and soul of traditional Austrian folk music. And,
the zither is internationally famous as well!
In
1949, The music from the film The Third Man was played by Anton
Karas on his zither. And, the film and its music are still just as
popular now!
And,
zithers will always remain popular in Austria. They are the heart of
Austrian music!
Vocabulary
admired
- bewundert
between
– zwischen
mainly
– hauptsächlich
popular
- beliebt
rhythm
– Rhythmus
string(s)
– Seiten
tales
– Erzählungen
type
– Arten
Vienna
Woods - Wiener Wald
1- How
many strings does the Alpine zither have?
2- Why
do you love Austrian folk music?
3- What
other musical instruments do you know?
4- What
are the two main types of Zithers?
5- Who
played The Third Man theme?
6- Which
instrument do you play?
7- In
which waltz does the zither have a prominent solo?
8- Who
wrote this music?
9- What
music do you like?
Coming home from a Zither concert!
And,
now the text once again.
Thank
you for listening!
