Doedelzak is the name for bagpipes in the Netherlands and the Flemish (Dutch) speaking northern part of Belgium. This is the region where painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder lived and worked. Formerly pijpzak and moezelzak were common. The latter two names, generic at one time, survive in the piposa (pipe au sac) from Picardy and muchosa (muse au sac) in the actual Belgian province of Hainaut. According to certain sources, muse once was the earliest generic name for this family of instruments in a large part of Europe and survives itself in the actual French generic name of cornemuse for all bagpipes.
The term pijpzak refers to a type of two-droned Flemish bagpipe, as portrayed in the artwork of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and many others. The instrument is held rather in front of the player than under the arm, as can be seen on the painting on top of this article. The two drone pipes, which have single reeds and are typically a fifth apart, are in the same stock and face directly up or slightly forward, depending on the individual position of the piper. The chanter has a conical pierce and a double reed.
Details
The pijpzak is at first sight similar in design to the cornemuse du Centre of Central France. However, the cornemuse du Centre has more variety in the number of drones, having a common stock or not, and their arrangement. The drones can rest backwards over the shoulder, or sideways over the arm, or both as with the chabrette, and the small drone can sit next to the chanter.
A very specific difference between de pijpzak and the cornemuse du Centre however, is the chanter. Modern instruments adopted the standardised chanter of the cornemuse du centre (itself a modern development, allowing overblowing) but the original instrument in Breugel's paintings had a different chanter. It has no thumb hole and has some particularities in the finger holes and the type of reed needed. Only one instrument of the period was partially preserved and is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna; further investigations of this instrument are unfortunately not allowed. However, many years ago a very precise measurement has been executed and all further developments rely on that information.
The Belgian pipe maker Wout Vanloffeld compared the available data to Breugel's very accurate pictures and to the equally precise descriptions Michael Praetorius gave in his Syntagma Musicum. He made reconstructions and models and created an adapted reed, also taking in account the suggestions Praetorius had given, such as the addition of a left thumb hole. The original instrument was not in the key of G, but in D or E, which also matches Praetorius' description. It probably existed as well in a plagal as in an authentic version. Its sound, as well as its fingering, are different from the cornemuse du Centre and allows quite different musical explorations.
Related Research Articles
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The border pipes are a type of bagpipe related to the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe. It is perhaps confusable with the Scottish smallpipe, although it is a quite different and much older instrument. Although most modern Border pipes are closely modelled on similar historic instruments, the modern Scottish smallpipes are a modern reinvention, inspired by historic instruments but largely based on Northumbrian smallpipes in their construction.
The Galician gaita is the traditional instrument of Galicia and northern Portugal.
Swedish bagpipes are a variety of bagpipes from Sweden. The term itself generically translates to "bagpipes" in Swedish, but is used in English to describe the specifically Swedish bagpipe from the Dalarna region.
The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from North East England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 200 years. The family of the Duke of Northumberland have had an official piper for over 250 years, and in more recent times the Mayor of Gateshead and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle have both re-established the tradition by appointing official Northumbrian pipers.
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The Hungarian duda is the traditional bagpipe of Hungary. It is an example of a group of bagpipes called Medio-Carparthian bagpipes.
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This article defines a number of terms that are exclusive, or whose meaning is exclusive, to piping and pipers.
The hornpipe can refer to a specific instrument or a class of woodwind instruments consisting of a single reed, a small diameter melody pipe with finger holes and a bell traditionally made from animal horn. Additionally, a reed cap of animal horn may be placed around the reed to contain the breath and allow circular breathing for constant play, although in many cases the reed is placed directly in the mouth. It was also known as the pibcorn, pibgorn, or piccorn. One rare Scottish example, called the stock-and-horn, is referred to by Robert Burns among others. Other hornpipes include the Spanish gaita gastoreña, the Basque alboka and the Eastern European zhaleika. When joined with a bag, Baines refers to the instruments as "bag-hornpipes".
The cornemuse du Centre France is a type of bagpipes native to Central France. They have two drones, one an octave below the tonic of the chanter, and the other two octaves below the tonic of the chanter. They can be found in the Bourbonnais, Berry, Nivernais, and Morvan regions of France and in different tonalities.
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