Gralla (musical instrument)

Gralla
	Gralla made of plum wood, without a reed
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Gralla ( Catalan ) is a conical double reed instrument that is played in folk music in Spain . The gralla has been better known since the 19th century and is similar to the medieval shawm .

Design

The woodwind instrument is between 34 centimeters (without keys) and 39 centimeters long (with two to eight keys) and used to be mostly made of boxwood . The gralla has six finger holes and one thumb hole. It is a variant of the dulzaina that in the region of Valencia dolçaina and Alicante xirimita is.

Style of play

The thumb hole is used for octaving. The seventh, lowest hole is not gripped and only serves to improve the resonance of the lower tones. A chromatic scale between g and d 'can be played using so-called forked handles and semi-closed tone holes. The solid and large double reed requires a strong breathing support and produces a rather loud, sustaining sound that can be heard from afar even outdoors.

The gralla is played, among other places, at the castells , traditional human pyramids that are set up with great public interest. The melody Toc De Castels played by the grallas and drums marks a special section in the structure. The contemporary composer Joan Bagé's Pieces has been composing pieces for gralla with electronics since around 2008 .

literature

Francesca Roig, Jaume Arnealla: Mètode de Gralla (Gralla school with history, playing technique, fingering tables, instructions for building the double reeds) . 2nd edition February 1992. DINSIC Publicationses Musicals, Barcelona 1992, ISBN 84-86949-11-4 .
Francesc Rius: The gralla and its origin. Pp. 1-31

Web links

Commons : Gralles - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

↑ Francesc Rius: The gralla and is origin. P. 17
^ Violet Alford: Odd Music-Makers and Their Instruments. In: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 1936, pp. 98-106, especially p. 103
↑ Gralla Seca - G major - Spanish shawm (oak). Folkfriends - special musical instruments
↑ DIÀLEGS, OBRA ANTIPODA (gralla i electrònica). Youtube video

[1] Francesc Rius: The gralla and is origin. P. 17

[2] Violet Alford: Odd Music-Makers and Their Instruments. In: The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 22, No. 1, January 1936, pp. 98-106, especially p. 103

[3] Gralla Seca - G major - Spanish shawm (oak). Folkfriends - special musical instruments

[4] DIÀLEGS, OBRA ANTIPODA (gralla i electrònica). Youtube video