Bagpipe: interesting facts, videos, history, photo, listen

Musical instrument: Bagpipes

Bagpipes ... What associations do you have when mentioning this tool? Surely - fabulous Scotland with its picturesque plains and ancient castles, a man in a checkered skirt, holding in his hands a kind of "bag" with tubes sticking out of it ... Many consider bagpipes to be an original Scottish instrument. However, this is not entirely true - where and when it appeared, today remains a mystery. What is known is that bagpipes are the traditional instrument of many nations of Europe and Asia, but Scottish, which is a symbol of their country, is particularly popular.

A bagpipe is a reed brass musical instrument.

Sound

Friedrich Nietzsche said: "How little is needed for happiness! The sound of bagpipes. - Without music, life would be a delusion. A German imagines even God singing songs."

Some believe that the voice of a bagpipe has magical properties, and its sound is similar to the guttural singing of a person. The sharp, continuous timbre of the instrument, which is heard for several miles, invariably attracts attention.

At its core, bagpipes are a polyphonic instrument that plays the melody against the background of the monotonous harmony issued by the boby pipe. Its deep and piercingly strong sound, with a nasal and buzzing timbre, is created as follows. The bagpiper fills the bag with air with the help of a mouthpiece and, pushing it with its elbow, overtakes it towards the tubes, at the same time pressing fingers on the sound holes of the chanter (melody tube). Occasionally, a musician may sing to the background sound of bobbin tubes, performing the instrument playing the tunes in the breaks. Bagpipe music is characterized by the abundant use of frithory ornaments and short trills.

Range The instrument is very limited, depending on the type of bagpipe it is from one to two octaves.

Playing the bagpipes is quite difficult, it was believed that only strong men with strong physique could play music on it, but at the present time women are also addicted to playing this instrument.

A photo:

Interesting Facts:

• Scots call their bagpipes - "highland bagpipe", which literally means "mountain bag with tubes." In other countries, the bagpipe is called: in Ukraine - "goat; in Belarus -" dudoy "; Bulgaria -" guide "; in Russia -" bagpipe; in Georgia - "make it" or "Gudastviri"; in Armenia - "parkbzuk" and "tick"; in Estonia - Torepilill; in Moldova and Romania - "chimpa"; in Chuvashia - "sabr" and "capar"; in Mari El - "shuvyr"; in Germany - "zakffefefe" and "dudelzak"; in England - the "bagpipe"; in Holland - "dudelzak"; in France - the "rootmouth".
• The biggest Scottish bagpipe is called Highland, it is the most popular today and is used in Scottish military orchestras.
• There is evidence that the ancient Roman emperor Nero, who was fond of playing the bagpipes, played the instrument during the great Roman fire.
• Scotland does not have its national anthem. The unofficial anthem of the country is the folk song "Flower of Scotland", which is traditionally performed on bagpipes.

• Scottish regiments always went into battle to the sound of bagpipes. The bagpipers walked in the front row, raising the soldiers' warlike spirit. During World War I, more than 500 bagpipers died on the battlefields, as they were an easy target.
• In the capital of Scotland, Edinburgh, at the Waverley Railway Station, visitors are greeted by the mesmerizing sound of bagpipes. In this city in the performance of the guard of the bagpipe sounds and neo-Gothic world-famous monument dedicated to Walter Scott.
• The Scots give the bagpipe "magical powers", for example, it can scare away rats. There is also a belief that the instrument begins to sound beautifully in the piper only after a year when it gets used to the owner.

• Bagpipes in Scotland were banned in 1560 during church reform, and also in 1746 after the Jacobite rebellion.
• A single copy of Russian bagpipe, which was recreated from descriptions in old documents, is kept in Moscow in the museum named after M.I. Glinka.
• Very large collections of bagpipes are found in the Metropolitan Museum in New York (USA), the International Bagpipe Museum in Gijon (Spain), the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford (United Kingdom), the Morpet Chantry Piper Museum in Northumberland (United Kingdom) and the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix (USA).
• At the first festival of military orchestras "Kremlin Star", held in Moscow in 2008 on Red Square, was attended by a combined orchestra of bagpipers and drummers from around the world, consisting of 350 performers.
• In St. Petersburg for several years, there is an orchestra "Bagpipes and Drums of St. Petersburg". He speaks at all events related to British culture.
• In some bagpipes, the anchorages are made of ivory, which is prohibited in many countries, so traveling with such an instrument is very problematic.
• March 10 is International Pipers Day.
• Queen Elizabeth of England wakes up every day at 9:30 am to the sounds of military marches. An alarm clock for her is a bagpipe ensemble dressed in full dress uniform. Her husband Philip does not share the love of the queen to the sound of bagpipes.
• The development of bagpipes has led to the creation of electronic keyboard MIDI-instruments, on which sounding of bagpipes of various kinds is possible.
• The world's largest producer of bagpipes is Pakistan, which has long been a British colony. For the soldiers, permanently stationed in this country, the Scottish military units, the Pakistanis have learned to make bagpipes. Having gained freedom, the locals did not abandon this fishery, but today good quality tools from Pakistan are no different.

Design

Each people bagpipe is different in its design, but the principle of the device is always the same. This is a tank made of animal skins or their bladder, and several tubes — one for filling the fur with air and some playing for creating polyphony.

• The air reservoir is called a bag and is usually made from the skin of a calf, goat, elk, sheep, cow, and even kangaroo. The bag must be airtight, well-holding air.
• The mouthpiece tube (blower) is designed to fill the fur chamber with air. It is inserted into the bag from above and is attached to it with wooden cylinders - drains. The blow tube is equipped with a shut-off valve that prevents air from escaping backwards.
• The melodic pipe looks flute-like, called a chanter, on which the bagpiper performs the main musical theme. The tube, which has several playing holes, is attached to the bag at the bottom. Inside it has a cane, which is hidden in the drain and begins to oscillate when exposed to air.
• Bourdon tubes or drones create a constant background sound and are tuned to the tonic and dominant tone, in which the main melodic theme sounds. The number of drones in the instrument varies from one to four, and they are also inserted with the help of drains, in which the reed tubes are hidden, inserted into the tubes.

Varieties

The bagpipe is a very popular folk instrument all over the world and its varieties an incredible variety. Virtually every country has its own version of the tool, which is made from various materials, with a different number of tubes. The principle of the bagpipes is always the same, but every people instrument has its own design features, for example:

• Irish - a distinctive feature of the tool is that the bag is filled with air by means of furs.
• Spanish - the feature of the tool is a double cane with a cane and single-handed drones. On the chanter, there are eleven holes — eight playing, one of which is on the back side and three not closing at the bottom of the socket.
• Bulgarian - differs from other tools in that there is a hole in the bag, which the performer closes with the index finger.
• Mariysky - has two melodic pipes, which makes it possible to play a two-part melody. The air tank is made of a bovine bubble.
• Mordovskaya - the pitch of the drums on the instrument can be changed during the game, since there are three playing holes on the drone tube. The playing tubes are removable and can be used as separate musical instruments.
• Chuvashskaya - all pipes of bagpipes are made not of wood, but of metal.

Works:

Black Bear (listen)

Highland Laddie (listen)

Flower of Scotland (listen)

Application

The bagpipe was originally used as a solo instrument, but later it began to be used in ensemble and orchestral music playing. Today, bagpipes is the official instrument of military and police orchestras of countries such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Canada. In orchestras, bagpipes are played accompanied by drums.

Being an ideal musical instrument for performing ceremonial melodies, bagpipes traditionally sound during royal dinners in the UK.

Due to the growing popularity of the instrument, bagpipes are increasingly used at weddings, parties and dance parties.

In the ensemble with other instruments to use the bagpipe is very problematic: first, it has a very loud sound; secondly, the setting of bagpipes does not coincide with the structure of the piano, violin and wind instruments. However, the sound of the instrument is sometimes used to decorate compositions in such musical genres as metal, hip-hop, punk and rock.

Story

The bagpipe is an antique instrument known to people from time immemorial, Art historians still dispute where and when it appeared, and who thought up to equip wind instruments with a fur chamber. Some consider the birthplace of Shumer bagpipes, others suggest that it was invented in China in the 5th century BC. We meet the first written information about the instrument at the ancient Greek comedian Aristophanes, who lived in the four-hundred years BC, although before that the bagpipe was mentioned in the images on the stone slabs of the first millennium before the birth of Christ. From ancient Greek and Roman sources, we learn that a hundred years BC. er bagpipes was a very popular tool. The cruel emperor Nero, who ruled in the first century, was not only an avid fan of bagpipes, but also fond of playing it.

The tool traveled with people around the world, its presence is found in India, France, Germany, Holland, Spain and Russia. Why in Russia the instrument has such a name is not known for certain, but there are guesses that the tribe people "Volhynians" were interested in playing it. The bagpipe traveled through the Russian land along with the buffoons and the bears' harnesses, until it fell into disgrace and disappeared along with the "devil's buffalo brat."

When the bagpipe appeared in Scotland, which became its second homeland, it is not known for certain. There is no exact information about this, but there are only suggestions that during the Crusades the instrument came to England and Ireland, and then to Scotland, where, because of its loud voice, not only liked the locals, but firmly entered people's life.

Bagpipes enjoyed great reverence in the mountainous regions of the country, it was here that it significantly evolved and became a national instrument.

In Scotland, the bagpipe has undergone a number of significant transformations - it added a tube with eight playing holes and another short one to blow air into the instrument.

The voice of the bagpipes was heard everywhere: at all kinds of festivals, in funeral processions and on the fields of battle battles. The Scots believed that the sound of the instrument drove away the "evil spirits." In some cities, bagpipers, playing, passed through the city, announcing the beginning or end of the working day, for which they were paid from the city treasury. The position of the piper was highly esteemed, the musician had special privileges.

The art of making and making tools passed from generation to generation. However, not everything was smooth in the history of bagpipes in Scotland. During the church reformation, in the second half of the 16th century, it was declared an instrument of the devil and subjected to disgrace. In the 18th century, after the defeat of the Jacobite rebellion, dark times began for the Scots. The clan system was eradicated, and the British authorities vetoed the bagpipes and kilts (the subject of men's Scottish clothing). However, residents of the highlands of Scotland did not recognize this ban and continued to lead a normal life.

The veto lasted fifty years and ended by the end of the 18th century. In connection with the increase in British possessions, the British army, in need of large replenishment, began to energetically form Scottish regiments. Being a mandatory attribute of the Scots, the bagpipes have gained a new life, they, along with the drum, became the companions of the Scottish regiments in the English army.

Bagpipe - this ancient instrument with a bewitching sound, in spite of everything, has lived to this day and is actively developing all over the world, as interest in it is constantly growing. And how effectively the piper orchestra sounds accompanied by drums. Such an unforgettable spectacular show touches a person for the soul and leaves a lasting impression.