Istarski mih
Encyclopedia
Istarski mih is a bagpipe native to the regions of Istria
and Kvarner, now in Croatia
. It consists of a bag made most often from goat
skin and a double-chanter with two single reeds. This type of bagpipe is distinct in that it has no drones, but a double-chanter with finger-holes on both bores, allowing both a melody and changing harmony to be played. In this respect the mih more resembles the bagpipes of the Southwest Asia and North Africa than other European bagpipes. The instrument is not dodecaphonically tempered, instead using the Istrian scale
. Its sound is distinct and unusual.
Unlike other Croatian bagpipe-like instruments that were forgotten and replaced with the accordion
and violin
in the 20th century, the art of playing istarski mih has not faced such rapid cultural decay.
Ivan Matetić Ronjgov
, a native Istrian composer, is credited with having revived the art of playing the istarski mih and sopile
in the 20th century, and Stjepan Večković has continued the instrument's tradition into the 21st century.
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
and Kvarner, now in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. It consists of a bag made most often from goat
Goat
The 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...
skin and a double-chanter with two single reeds. This type of bagpipe is distinct in that it has no drones, but a double-chanter with finger-holes on both bores, allowing both a melody and changing harmony to be played. In this respect the mih more resembles the bagpipes of the Southwest Asia and North Africa than other European bagpipes. The instrument is not dodecaphonically tempered, instead using the Istrian scale
Istrian scale
The Istrian scale is a distinct hexatonic musical scale in the regions of Istria and Kvarner in Croatia. It is used in Istrian and Kvarnerian folk music. The scale could approximately be notated as: E-F-G-Ab-Bb-Cb- See also :* Music of Croatia...
. Its sound is distinct and unusual.
Unlike other Croatian bagpipe-like instruments that were forgotten and replaced with the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
in the 20th century, the art of playing istarski mih has not faced such rapid cultural decay.
Ivan Matetić Ronjgov
Ivan Matetic Ronjgov
Ivan Matetić Ronjgov was an Istrian composer.Ivan Matetić was born in Istria, then a part of Austria-Hungary on April 10, 1880 in a village near the city of Rijeka / Fiume called Rojnici, which is now in Croatia, from which he took his nickname "Ronjgov"...
, a native Istrian composer, is credited with having revived the art of playing the istarski mih and sopile
Sopila
The sopile is an ancient traditional woodwind instrument of Croatia, similar to the oboe or shawm. It is used in the regions of Kvarner, Kastav, Vinodol, Island Krk, and Istria. Sopile are always played in pair so there are great and small or thin and fat sopila...
in the 20th century, and Stjepan Večković has continued the instrument's tradition into the 21st century.