Bombarde (Breton musical instrument)
| Breton Bombard | |
|---|---|
| French Bombarde bret. ar vombard , an talabard | |
 |
|
| Chromatic bombard made of ebony | |
| classification | Woodwind instrument , double reed instrument , cone oboe |
The Bombarde is a wind instrument with a double reed from the family of cones oboe , which in the Breton music is used. In Breton the instrument is called ar vombard or an talabard . A bombard player is called talabarder (pronounced: talabardœr ).
Bombarde was originally the French name for the Pomeranians that were played in Renaissance and Baroque music . The Pomeranians (bombards) fell out of use in late baroque music, but they are still played in Brittany today.
The characteristic sound of the bombard is very powerful. The instrument demands a physical exertion from the musician that requires regular breaks. Therefore, the Bombarde rarely plays alone. It is mostly used together with the Biniou kozh or as part of the Breton Bagad . In no other Celtic region is the bagpipe accompanied by a comparable reed instrument.
history
The bombarde belongs to a large group of double-reed instruments that descended from the shawms and pomeranians . The shawm, for its part, goes back to Spanish instruments from the Islamic period.
The bombarde is played in a non-tempered mood . Since the time of the Renaissance , a balance has been sought in tuning between the possibility of transposing into different keys and being faithful to the pure intervals. Only with the oboe is the development of the tempered mood realized. In France, traditional wind instruments continued to be used alongside the oboe. However, they died out, except for the bombard, which survived in Brittany .
At the beginning of the 20th century, the number of people playing Bombarde and Biniou kozh had fallen sharply. In the 1970s, the use of this instrument duo took off again as part of the revival of Breton culture. The success of Alan Stivell and the establishment of festoù-noz and competitions for traditional music worked together. At the same time an intensive collection of melodies, songs, marches and dances was undertaken at the instigation of the associations SKV ( Sonerien ha Kanerien Vreizh ) and Dastum . Since 1972 these have been collecting and promoting the music and cultural heritage of Brittany.
Construction
The instrument consists of three parts:
- The melody tube or body is slightly conical and has six to seven finger holes on the front (more if keys are used). It is made of hardwood such as box , plum , passion fruit , rosewood or ebony and can be decorated with rings made of pewter, horn, other woods or even ivory.
- The bell, usually made from another piece of the same wood, has a wide opening and takes the lower end of the melody tube.
- The mouthpiece accommodates the double reed, which is now made of stake reed (in the past it could be made of boxwood, blackberry bark or even bone), and which is enclosed by the talabarder's lips .
The Bombarde is available in different sizes and moods. It is usually in Bb and comprises two diatonic octaves, which corresponds to the key of the Scottish bagpipes (or the Binioù bras) as it is used in Brittany (in Scotland it is half a tone lower in A). But there are also other basic tones (F, G, G sharp, A, B, C, D), depending on the purpose for which the bombard is to be used.
Playing stance and approach
Like almost all wind instruments, the bombard is gripped with the left hand at the top of the melody tube and the right hand at the bottom. It is held roughly at right angles to the musician's face or tilted slightly downwards.
As with all instruments with finger holes, the more holes open, the higher the pitch, and the lowest pitch is achieved when all the holes are closed. Within the same register, the other notes are achieved by gradually opening the fingers of the right hand, then the left hand.
The double reed, on which the lips lie directly, is fragile and is self-made. A hard reed, (that is, one that takes more effort to make the sound), may become softer with use. A hand that is soft from the start is easier to play at first, but quickly becomes unusable if it is not played carefully.
Style of play
The instrument is originally played in pairs (as a duo with the biniou kozh or the biniou bras ) to accompany the Breton dances.
It is also the leading instrument in the ensemble called Bagad , which consists of three instrumental groups (bombards, bagpipes, drum / percussion). Less often it is also accompanied by an organ , and liturgical or concert performances. The traditional duo biniou kozh and bombarde is inspired by the way in which kan ha diskan ("song and answer") are sung, in which the first singer ( kaner ) starts a melody that is played by the second ( diskaner ) or another Singers is reciprocated. In this type of piece, the bombarde takes on the role of first singer, while the bagpipe plays with a continuous tone and accompanies the bombarde. The biniou kozh sounds an octave higher than the bombarde. In the duo biniou bras and bombarde , which was recently created under the influence of the bagadoù , the two instruments play in the same vocal range.
The bombing takes a lot of breath and a talabarder rarely plays long. Therefore, the melody sections are short and repeated: the bombard plays one section, then the player is silent (time to relax) while the other instruments repeat the melody section. The bombarde has a clear and powerful sound that carries you far.
Participation in competitions is widespread among the musicians who play with each other. Each area has its own competition, where players compete against each other in three tests: melody, march and dance. The best couples meet in Gourin on the first Sunday in September to take part in the Brittany championship. The first competition of this kind took place in 1955 on the initiative of the Bishop of Gourin, Le Poulichet, who contacted the Association Bogadeg Ar Sonerion to add a procession of musicians to the traditional penance at Saint-Hervé. In 1957, Polig Montjarret proposed to the mayor of Gourin to organize a competition for players every year as part of the penance, for which “Bogadeg Ar Sonerion” provided the regulations and the jury. Since 1993 the championship in Gourin has been held on the Tronljoly grounds in front of thousands of enthusiasts and helpers.
Player:
- André Le Meut
- Jorj Botuha
- Christophe Caron
- Cyrille Bonneau
- Daniel Le Féon
- David Pasquet
- Fabrice Lothodé
- Eric Beaumin
- Jean Baron
- Mathieu Serot
- Ronan Keryell
- Serge Riou
- Yann Kermabon
- Claude Le Baron
- Youen Le Bihan
- Ivonig Le Mestre
Manufacturer:
- Hervieux & Glet
- Jorj Botuha
- Youenn Le Bihan
- Dorig Le Voyer
- Yvon Le Coant
- Jil Lehart
- Christian Besrechel
- Jean Capitaine
- Jean-Luc Ollivier
- Rudy Le Doyen
- Paul Larivain
Individual evidence
- ↑ Musiciens et Chanteurs de Bretagne. Founded in 1979 by Georges Epinette in Saint-Brieuc
- ↑ On Breton's dastum "receive", "collect", "put together".
- ^ De SKV à Dastum . In: revue Musique Bretonne . 200, January / February, 2007.
- ↑ Musique Bretonne: Histoire des sonneurs de tradition . Anthology. In: La Revue ArMen (ed.): Revue Musique Bretonne . 200, January / February. Le Chasse-Marée / Armen 1996, ISBN 2-903708-67-3 .
- ↑ Yves Castel: Sonerien daou ha daou (méthode de biniou et de bombarde) . Ed. Breizh Hor Bro, 1980.
- ^ Gourin, un demi-siècle de championnat . In: Revue Ar Soner . 382, 4 e trimestre, 2006.
- ↑ Polig Monjarret 1920–2003 . In: Revue Ar Soner . 372 (special issue), January / February, 2004.
Web links
- Panorama de la musique bretonne. Retrieved November 15, 2009 .
- La bombarde. Retrieved November 15, 2009 .
- The partitions gratuites pour bombarde de musique bretonne à télécharger. Retrieved November 15, 2009 .