Welsh pipes
Encyclopedia
Welsh bagpipes have been played, documented, represented or described in Wales
since the fourteenth century. In 1376, the poet Iolo Goch
describes the instrument in his Cywydd
to Syr Hywel y Fwyall.. Also, in the same century, Brut y Tywysogion
("Chronicle of the Princes"), written around 1330 AD, states that there are three types of wind instrument: Organ a Phibeu a Cherd y got ("organ
, and pipes, and bag music"). Continuous use of the instrument has since waxed and waned in popularity according to musical fashions. Pipe making has historically been localised and idiosyncratic, and piping since the sixteenth century has generally been employed in celebratory or public roles such as weddings, markets, or dances.
A piper in Welsh is called a pibydd or a pibgodwr.
(Welsh: "cal", or "calaf") in the chanter
(Welsh: "llefarydd", see image top right), and the other uses a double-reed (see image on right). The single-reed chanter is also furnished with a cow-horn bell. Both types of chanter may also be played un-attached to the bag; the single-reed type in the form of a hornpipe
(Welsh: pibgorn
pl:pibgyrn, see image below right), and the double-reed type in the form of a shawm
. The double-reed type is characteristically louder, and can over-blow a few notes in the upper register. The single-reed type plays only an octave. The bagpipes may be drone-less or furnished with drones
(Welsh: "byrdwn") via the bag (Welsh: "cwdyn").
The single-reed chanter is drilled with six small finger-holes and a thumb-hole giving a diatonic compass of an octave. Modern examples are generally pitched in D Major, or D Mixolydian; but historical instruments give a variety of pitch as well as musical modes. The double reed chanters come in a variety of pitches, and some of the instruments may be cross-fingered to give different modes. Some have a semi-tone leading note at the bottom of the instrument, others give a whole tone leading note.
Repertoire on both is contiguous with minor adaptations necessitated by the limitations of each particular instrument.
. Makers include John Glennydd from Carmarthenshire
and John Tose from Pembrokeshire
.
Other makers such as Jonathan Shorland from Cardiganshire have based the chanters of their idiosyncratic double-reeded pipes on measurements of the chanters of the Breton
veuze
, the Great Highland Bagpipe
chanter, the Galician gaita
chanter, the Breton bombarde, as well as historical descriptions, drawings and carvings of bagpipes in Wales. These may be furnished with one, two, or three drones. No standardisation is employed in the making of contemporary bagpipes in Wales. Shorland is also a significant maker of pibgyrn.
A recent development of piping in Wales has been the use of imported Breton veuze and Galician gaita on which Welsh repertoire is played (see bottom image). These standardised foreign instruments have enabled a nascent marching pipe-band to be formed.
Pibau Morgannwg.
Welsh folk groups using bagpipes include Fernhill
and Carreg Lafar
.
Ceri Rhys Matthews and Jonathan Shorland have recorded pipe music using different types of Welsh bagpipes called Pibau on Fflach
records.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
since the fourteenth century. In 1376, the poet Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch
Iolo Goch , , was a medieval Welsh poet or bard who composed poems addressed to Owain Glyndŵr, among others.- Lineage :...
describes the instrument in his Cywydd
Cywydd
The cywydd is one of the most important metrical forms in Welsh traditional poetry.There are a variety of forms of the cywydd, but the word on its own is generally used to refer to the cywydd deuair hirion as it is by far the most common type.The first recorded examples of the cywydd date from the...
to Syr Hywel y Fwyall.. Also, in the same century, Brut y Tywysogion
Brut y Tywysogion
Brut y Tywysogion is one of the most important primary sources for Welsh history. It is an annalistic chronicle that serves as a continuation of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae. Brut y Tywysogion has survived as several Welsh translations of an original Latin version, which has...
("Chronicle of the Princes"), written around 1330 AD, states that there are three types of wind instrument: Organ a Phibeu a Cherd y got ("organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, and pipes, and bag music"). Continuous use of the instrument has since waxed and waned in popularity according to musical fashions. Pipe making has historically been localised and idiosyncratic, and piping since the sixteenth century has generally been employed in celebratory or public roles such as weddings, markets, or dances.
A piper in Welsh is called a pibydd or a pibgodwr.
Types of Bagpipe
There are two types of bagpipe made and played in Wales. One species uses a single-reedSingle-reed instrument
A single-reed instrument is a woodwind instrument that uses only one reed to produce sound. Examples include clarinets, saxophones, and some bagpipes. In a single-reed instrument, the reed is attached to a mouthpiece that is blown into to vibrate the reed, producing the sound...
(Welsh: "cal", or "calaf") in the chanter
Chanter
The chanter is the part of the bagpipe upon which the player creates the melody. It consists of a number of finger-holes, and in its simpler forms looks similar to a recorder...
(Welsh: "llefarydd", see image top right), and the other uses a double-reed (see image on right). The single-reed chanter is also furnished with a cow-horn bell. Both types of chanter may also be played un-attached to the bag; the single-reed type in the form of a hornpipe
Hornpipe (musical instrument)
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...
(Welsh: pibgorn
Pibgorn (instrument)
The pibgorn is a Welsh species of idioglot reed aerophone. The name translates literally as "pipe-horn". It is also historically known as cornicyll. It utilises a single reed , cut from elder or reed , like that found in the drone of a bagpipe, being the ancestor of the modern clarinet reed...
pl:pibgyrn, see image below right), and the double-reed type in the form of a shawm
Shawm
The shawm was a medieval and Renaissance musical instrument of the woodwind family made in Europe from the 12th century until the 17th century. It was developed from the oriental zurna and is the predecessor of the modern oboe. The body of the shawm was usually turned from a single piece of wood,...
. The double-reed type is characteristically louder, and can over-blow a few notes in the upper register. The single-reed type plays only an octave. The bagpipes may be drone-less or furnished with drones
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...
(Welsh: "byrdwn") via the bag (Welsh: "cwdyn").
The single-reed chanter is drilled with six small finger-holes and a thumb-hole giving a diatonic compass of an octave. Modern examples are generally pitched in D Major, or D Mixolydian; but historical instruments give a variety of pitch as well as musical modes. The double reed chanters come in a variety of pitches, and some of the instruments may be cross-fingered to give different modes. Some have a semi-tone leading note at the bottom of the instrument, others give a whole tone leading note.
Repertoire on both is contiguous with minor adaptations necessitated by the limitations of each particular instrument.
Modern pipes
Contemporary pipe makers in Wales base their chanters on measurements of extant historical examples of the pibgorn. Some of these instruments, dating from the eighteenth century, are on display at the Museum of Welsh Life. A single-reed type pipe with a drone attached via the bag is called the pibau cyrn. A notable player of these pipes is Ceri Rhys MatthewsCeri Rhys Matthews
Ceri Rhys Matthews is a Welsh traditional musician, record producer, and teacher.-Biography:Matthews was born in Swansea, Wales...
. Makers include John Glennydd from Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
and John Tose from Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
Other makers such as Jonathan Shorland from Cardiganshire have based the chanters of their idiosyncratic double-reeded pipes on measurements of the chanters of the Breton
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
veuze
Veuze
The veuze is a Breton bagpipe found traditionally in southeastern Brittany and in the northern part of the Vendée, particularly around Nantes, the Guérande peninsula, and Basse-Vilaine. The veuze has been mentioned in writings dating to the 16th century, and is thought to be the oldest of the...
, the Great Highland Bagpipe
Great Highland Bagpipe
The Great Highland Bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland. It has achieved widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world. It is closely related to the Great Irish Warpipes....
chanter, the Galician gaita
Galician gaita
The gaita or gaita de foles is a traditional bagpipe of Galicia, Asturias and northern Portugal.The name gaita is used in Galician and Spanishlanguages as a generic term for "bagpipe"...
chanter, the Breton bombarde, as well as historical descriptions, drawings and carvings of bagpipes in Wales. These may be furnished with one, two, or three drones. No standardisation is employed in the making of contemporary bagpipes in Wales. Shorland is also a significant maker of pibgyrn.
A recent development of piping in Wales has been the use of imported Breton veuze and Galician gaita on which Welsh repertoire is played (see bottom image). These standardised foreign instruments have enabled a nascent marching pipe-band to be formed.
Players
Welsh pipe groups and bands include Pibau Pencader, Pibe Bach, Pibau Preseli, and BagadBagad
A bagad is a Breton band, composed of bagpipes , bombards and drums . The pipe band tradition in Brittany was inspired by the Scottish example and has developed since the mid-20th century...
Pibau Morgannwg.
Welsh folk groups using bagpipes include Fernhill
Fernhill (band)
Fernhill is a Welsh folk band, formed in 1996. They have been described by music critic and journalist Colin Irwin, as "highly regarded, innovative cultural ambassadors for Wales and its folk music, having toured in over 20 countries in four continents"...
and Carreg Lafar
Carreg Lafar
Carreg Lafar is a traditional Welsh band.It was formed in Cardiff in 1994 with Antwn Owen Hicks, James Rourke, Rhian Evan Jones, Linda Owen Jones and Simon O'Shea. Carreg Lafar literally means a "speaking stone", or "echo stone"....
.
Ceri Rhys Matthews and Jonathan Shorland have recorded pipe music using different types of Welsh bagpipes called Pibau on Fflach
Fflach
Fflach is a Welsh Record Label and Recording Studio. It was founded in 1981 in Cardigan, Ceredigion, Wales by brothers Richard and Wyn Jones who are members of Welsh New Wave music group Ail Symudiad. The label gave an opportunity to record more New Wave music in Wales, for bands such as Y Ficar,...
records.
External links
- Pibau Pencader (Site in WelshWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and EnglishEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) - Welsh Bagpipes and the Welsh Pibgorn
- CLERA History of the pipes in Wales
- CLERA History of the pibgorn in Wales