Baghèt
Encyclopedia
The baghèt is a bagpipe originating in the Middle Ages in Bergamo
and Brescia
, modern Italy.
Its existence is attested by the end of 14th century in a fresco
in the castle of Bianzano
. Other representations are Malpaga Castle
in Piario
in the church of St. Augustine in Bergamo
, in the Dance Macabre by Simon Baschenis in the church of San Vigilio, Pinzolo
(in Val Rendena province of Trento). The instruments played in iconographic sources all have a chanter to play the melody, as well as a drone
, which rests on the shoulder. In several pictures the bagpipes is accompanied by a bombard
.
The Bergamo bagpipes were virtually abandoned in the social disorder of the mid-1950s, according to research by Valter , the last player baghèt was Giacomo Ruggeri Casnigo
(1905–1990). The city council has names Casnigo "the homeland of the baghét".http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0RPDithkEs.
The instrument was considered extinct, per the ethnomusicologist Roberto Leydi
in his publication of 1979: Robert Leyden, The bagpipes in Europe, Nani, Como,, but since the 1980s new research carried out by the composer Walter Biella led to the discovery of old copies of the instrument. Valter Biella , together with Luciano Carminati, nephew of fiddler James Ruggeri, and other enthusiasts founded an association ("The baghèt official website), with the aim to re-evaluate in modern times the bagpipes of the province of Bergamo.
According to testimonies collected by the "baghèt" was present in Imagna valley in val Gandino in Valtorta
in the middle and upper val Seriana, although probably the instrument had different forms, while retaining the same name.
The termbaghètwas the most used, but there were also the names of la pìaor the il pia baghèt. The player was calledbagheter.
The bagpipe was so constituted :
The instrument was played in summer with the arrival of the cold, when the work became more rare, the farmers found themselves in the stables and took up the pipes. After the festival of Epiphany the instrument was shelved again until the following winter.
There was large scale fabrication of baghets, but it was mostly related to the initiative of individual families. Some players were provided in the first person to repair the worn parts. The pipe passed from father to son, often remaining within the family circle.
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
and Brescia
Brescia
Brescia is a city and comune in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, between the Mella and the Naviglio, with a population of around 197,000. It is the second largest city in Lombardy, after the capital, Milan...
, modern Italy.
Its existence is attested by the end of 14th century in a fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
in the castle of Bianzano
Bianzano
Bianzano is a comune in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, Italy. It is 600 metres above sea level and lays down on a little plateau between Cavallina and Seriana valleys. The core of the village is its historic centre, which keeps its original structure with some remains of minor fortified...
. Other representations are Malpaga Castle
Malpaga Castle
The Malpaga Castle is a castle in the communal territory of Cavernago, a village in the province of Bergamo, northern Italy.Its main feature are the Renaissance frescoes by Il Romanino, in the interiors.-History:...
in Piario
Piario
Piario is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 80 km northeast of Milan and about 30 km northeast of Bergamo...
in the church of St. Augustine in Bergamo
Bergamo
Bergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, in the Dance Macabre by Simon Baschenis in the church of San Vigilio, Pinzolo
Pinzolo
Pinzolo is a small town and comune situated in Val Rendena in Trentino in the northern Italian Alps at an altitude of 800 m.It is mainly known as a ski resort during the winter months.-External links:...
(in Val Rendena province of Trento). The instruments played in iconographic sources all have a chanter to play the melody, as well as a drone
Drone (music)
In music, a drone is a harmonic or monophonic effect or accompaniment where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or all of a piece. The word drone is also used to refer to any part of a musical instrument that is just used to produce such an effect.-A musical effect:A drone...
, which rests on the shoulder. In several pictures the bagpipes is accompanied by a bombard
Bombard (music)
The bombard, also known as talabard or ar vombard in the Breton language or bombarde in French, is a contemporary conical bore double reed instrument widely used to play traditional Breton music. The bombard is a woodwind instrument; the reed is held between the lips. The bombard is a member of the...
.
The Bergamo bagpipes were virtually abandoned in the social disorder of the mid-1950s, according to research by Valter , the last player baghèt was Giacomo Ruggeri Casnigo
Casnigo
Casnigo is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 70 km northeast of Milan and about 20 km northeast of Bergamo...
(1905–1990). The city council has names Casnigo "the homeland of the baghét".http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0RPDithkEs.
The instrument was considered extinct, per the ethnomusicologist Roberto Leydi
Roberto Leydi
Roberto Leydi is an Italian ethnomusicologist-Biography:He started his career in the field of contemporary music and jazz, and in the 1950s started his research into the social significance of folk and popular music...
in his publication of 1979: Robert Leyden, The bagpipes in Europe, Nani, Como,, but since the 1980s new research carried out by the composer Walter Biella led to the discovery of old copies of the instrument. Valter Biella , together with Luciano Carminati, nephew of fiddler James Ruggeri, and other enthusiasts founded an association ("The baghèt official website), with the aim to re-evaluate in modern times the bagpipes of the province of Bergamo.
According to testimonies collected by the "baghèt" was present in Imagna valley in val Gandino in Valtorta
Valtorta
Valtorta is a comune in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about 60 km northeast of Milan and about 35 km northwest of Bergamo...
in the middle and upper val Seriana, although probably the instrument had different forms, while retaining the same name.
The termbaghètwas the most used, but there were also the names of la pìaor the il pia baghèt. The player was calledbagheter.
Structure
In val Gandino and val Seriana were found seven original instruments, not all complete. The most ancient preserved in the families of former players back to 1870.The bagpipe was so constituted :
- Bag of small size so as to give the instrument its name (baghètsignifica "little bag"), leather goatGoatThe domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
or lambDomestic sheepSheep are quadrupedal, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. Although the name "sheep" applies to many species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to Ovis aries...
, first shaved and then folded the left side of the hair inside, and then sewn; - Melody chanter, double-reeded, with the extension of an eighth in key in La major
- Drone, playing an octave below the chanter
- Bass drone, playing two octaves below the chanter, with a single-reed
- Blowpipe, used to inflate the bag by mouth
Usage
The baghèt was linked to the rural world from which they came for the most part.The instrument was played in summer with the arrival of the cold, when the work became more rare, the farmers found themselves in the stables and took up the pipes. After the festival of Epiphany the instrument was shelved again until the following winter.
There was large scale fabrication of baghets, but it was mostly related to the initiative of individual families. Some players were provided in the first person to repair the worn parts. The pipe passed from father to son, often remaining within the family circle.
Monographs
- Valter Biella, Baghèt o piva delle Alpi, A.R.P.A, Bergamo 1984;
- Valter Biella, Ricerca sulla piva nel bergamasco Università degli studi di Bologna – DAMS, Bologna 1985;
- Valter Biella, Il baghèt un'antica tradizione bergamasca, Villadiseriane, Bergamo 1988;
- Valter Biella,"L'uso della cornamusa berghamasca "baghèt" con un nuovo repertorio di musiche tradizionali", Zanniniziative, Ranica (Bergamo), 1989;
- Valter Biella, Legno corteccia e canna, Sistema bibliotecario urbano di Bergamo, 1993;
- Valter Biella, Il baghèt, la cornamusa bergamasca, Meridiana, Bergamo 2000.
- Febo Guizzi, Guida alla musica popolare in Italia. 3. Gli strumenti, Libreria Musicale Italiana, Lucca 2002, p.226;
- Maurizio Pandolfi (con la collaborazione di Pierangelo Gabbiadini da Bagnatica), Metodo per lo studio della cornamusa bergamasca (baghèt), Cel-isa edizioni musicali, Bagnatica 2007.
- Pierangelo Gabbiadini da Bagnatica, L' In Canto del baghèt, Raccolta di danze, canti, e nuove composizioni originali per baghèt, percussioni ed altri strumenti rievocativi. Dal medioevo all'oggi arrangiati e/o composti dall'autore.
Articles
- Giuliano Grasso, in Symposium international sur la Cornemuse (atti convegno, 17 settembre 1988, La Haye, Pays Bas), Stichting Volkmuzieck Nederland, Utrecht 1989, pp.55-57;
- Valter Biella, "Le note del baghèt portavano il lieto annuncio di valle in valle", inserto del quotidiano L'Eco di Bergamo", 23 dicembre 1989;
- Valter Biella, "Parliamo di baghèt", in FB Folk bulletin, nuova serie, anno III, n° 8, ottobre 1991;
- Valter Biella, "Il baghèt, la piva delle valli bergamasche", in Mauro Gioielli (a cura di), La zampogna, Gli aerofoni a sacco in Italia, Cosmo Iannone Editore, Isernia, 2005 (ISBN 88-516-0069-4), I, pp. 1–22;