Mezwed

Mezwed
arab. مِزْود Mitzvad , Mitzved , Mitzvid , after French articulation mezoued
Mitzvad from Tunisia
classification	Single reed instrument , horn pipe , bagpipe

The Mezwed , French spelling Mezoued , Arabic مِزْود, DMG mizwad , also zukra; is a traditional bagpipe from Tunisia , which is also found in southeast Algeria and Libya . The instrument comes from the Bedouins and spread first in the camps of the nomadic cattle , then in the cities.

The name mezwed / mizwad literally means "food bag" and describes the airbag. Without a sack, the same instrument is called Magruna (also Magrouna from Arabic مقرونة, DMG maqrūna “doubled” ). Similar single reed instruments with a double sound tube occur in many Arab countries (see Midschwiz ).

Mezwed also stands for a form of traditional Tunisian music, the style of which is similar to the Egyptian baladi dance style.

Construction

The Magruna consists of two similar melody pipes made of reed ( kaffa ), each with a simple (idioglottes) reed and five to six finger holes. The pipes are decorated with lines of fire and have two cow or gazelle horns as horns .

This double chanter is attached to an air bag that is 64 cm long and is called chekoua or dhorf . It is made from goat or sheep skin and stores the air that is blown in through a narrow blow pipe. At the place of the paws there are decorative ends made of wood.

Style of play

The inflated airbag enables an uninterrupted, penetrating sound. The player presses the hose under his armpit and squeezes it with his arm to make the reeds vibrate. If the Magruna is blown directly with the mouth, circular breathing must be used. The player can change the pitch and key by varying the air pressure.

The mezwed is usually accompanied by the bendir , the tabl or the darbouka .

Popular music

The mezed was long ignored by the bearers of the official culture, who preferred the forms of classical Arabic music to popular music.

The Mezwed is often accompanied by a singer who sings in the Tunisian dialect and not in Standard Arabic as in classical music. Often there is also a male or female choir.

It spread in the urban culture in the disadvantaged and the rural exodus uprooted neighborhoods. It can be seen as an expression of the poor living conditions and a rejection of the prevailing culture. He violates the norms of decency, uses slang and deals with provocative or suggestive topics. The harshest critics put the mezwed in line with the zendali , which is used as the song of the prisoners in prison.

Although the mezed is practically non-existent in the media (television and radio), it has spread through music tapes that made it known to a large audience. In addition, it is played at festivals and stands for the culture of the general population compared to an elitist understanding of culture.

At the beginning of the 1990s, the musical Ennouba , staged by Fadhel Jaziri and Samir Aghrebi, upgraded the Mezwed and gave it a place in Tunisia's musical heritage. At the same time, he was also increasingly included in the repertoire of great singers such as Hédi Jouini. Finally, as a specifically Tunisian form of music, it found a permanent place in the urban environment.

Musician

A selection of artists who maintain the Mezwed:

• Belgacem Bouguenna
• Fatma Boussaha
• Hedi Habbouba
• Ouled Jouini
• Fathi Weld Fajra

Web links

• Oliver Seeler: The Universe of Bagpipes. Mezoued. hotpipes.com
• Cornemuse mezwed. Retrieved December 14, 2009 (French). 
• Maqrunah, Al-Maqrunah, Maqrum, Makrum. Retrieved September 8, 2016 .