Xeremia (bagpipe)
The Mallorcan xeremía (plural xeremíes ) is a musical instrument from the family of the bagpipes .
The xeremía consists of a sack made of leather or another material (today made of modern plastics), the sac ("sack") or sarró ("bubble") is called. This is where the air is collected. It has three different openings: One in the bufador ("blowpipe"), through which the breathing air is blown that fills the sack. Another at the grall ("melody pipe"), the part that creates the melody notes . And finally one for the bordons (" drones "). There are usually three of them: The first is called trompa or bordó , which always sounds in the keynote, and the fillols , which can only be jewelry and then do not sound.
It has a characteristic, bright and penetrating sound that has accompanied the festivals and turning points of life on Mallorca for ages.
To play it, the xeremier (the musician who plays the instrument) takes the sack between forearm and elbow, pumps it up with the help of the bufador and, by pressing the sarró , lets the air escape through the grail that comes with both Hands is played. The pedal tone C 3 comes from the trompa . In some Xeremías, the drones also sound in G 3 and C 4 .
Surname
The term xeremía or the plural xeremíes comes from the French. The old French word chalemie developed into charemie . During the Aragonese domination katalinschen had Occitan a strong influence, and the Occitan culture spread by minstrels and troubadours throughout the region of the future Catalan Countries from.
The name of the instrument can be used in the singular or plural and has different forms depending on the location. On the island of Ibiza , the Xeremia only exists without a sack. See: xeremia on the Balearic Islands are said xeremia , Xirimia , xeremies or Xirimíes , in Catalonia , however gemecs Sac de .
Parts of the Xeremía
The xeremías consist of the following parts:
- The sac or sarró ("sack" or "bladder") is the store that feeds the grail , the trompa and the bordones with air. The sarró is held and pressed between forearm and elbow to allow air to flow into the tubes that create the various tones. The air flow must be constant and even. This is the most difficult process in learning to play the instrument. Originally sarró was made from sheepskin or goatskin , now synthetic fabrics are also used. To make it one should take the whole hide of a small goat or sheep of about 25 kg. You close it up by turning it over so that the fur comes in and cutting off what is not usable. The front legs become the openings to which the brackets for the bufador (right) and the grall (left) are attached. The braguer is attached to the neck opening , a wooden spigot that directs the air from the sack to the trompa and the bordons . The sarró is covered with a “dress”, which, depending on the player's taste, can be made of typical Mallorcan linen or leather with an external fur (usually goat).
- The bufador ("blowpipe") is the part through which the air is blown into the sac or sarró . It is made of wood and has a valve at its lower end so that no air can escape from the sack through it.
- The grall ("melody whistle") is the part of the instrument that generates the melody. It is made of wood and has a conical shape with eight holes for the fingers of both hands. In the grall is the inxa or canyeta ("reed") that creates the sound. It consists of two very fine reeds that are set in motion by the air flowing through them. It is made from cane that is cut in January at a full moon and that needs to be dried for at least two years. Opening or closing the finger openings changes the pitch. Seven of the openings are on the front and one on the back. The fingers are held in the following positions: little finger, ring, middle and index fingers of the right hand cover the lowest openings. The ring, middle and index fingers of the left hand cover the remaining three openings and the thumb covers the opening on the back. The different pitches are generated by different finger combinations.
- The braguer is the part that connects the various drones with the sack and that directs the air to the trompa and the bordons . It is made of wood, its openings are so large in diameter that the air flow is sufficient to make the brumas ("reeds") of the drone vibrate.
- The bordons have the task of generating the permanent accompanying tones, the "pedal tones" or "accompanying basses". They are made of wood in a counter-conical shape and end in a pierced bell. The so-called traditional models of xeremíes only have decorative cordons that do not sound. These are then called fillols . The bruma produces the notes of the drone. It is made from a reed (now also made of plastic), which is set in motion by the air flow. By using the drone tube as a resonance body, the corresponding tone is generated. The height of the tone that the bruma produces, which forms the basis for the drone, depends on the length and thickness of its reed. All brumas of a xeremia must sound equally loud with the same air pressure. The final sound of the drone is created by the different resonances and overtones that arise when the air flows to the bell.
- The trompa is the largest drone. It sounds in all instruments.
- Grall and bufador are attached to the sack with the help of nous ("nuts") made of wood.
Usually the xeremíes are decorated according to the owner's taste, at least with a “dress” made of typical Mallorcan linen that covers the sack and with tassels and cords of different colors. Virolles are used as jewelry, but also to protect the wooden parts . These are metal rings, usually made of brass but occasionally also made of silver or other precious metal, which are located at the ends of the drone and game tubes. Suns, moons and stars may be engraved, the exact meaning of which is not known. It is believed, however, that they are of religious origin.
For the wooden parts, a wood is used that transmits the sound well, that is easy to work with and resistant to moisture. Almond, cherry, passion fruit, box and ebony are most commonly used, but recently also bubinga and cocobolo wood . The grail is usually made from passion fruit or almond wood. (According to Mallorcan custom, the wood is felled in February. For trees with evergreen leaves at the new moon, for trees with changing foliage at the full moon).
Range and mood
Basically, the range of the melody tube is about an octave from B 3 to C 5 , and it is also possible to overblow up to G 5 by increasing the pressure in the bag. Since the overblown tones sound forced, they are rarely used. Also, notes with accidentals are rarely used, except occasionally B and F sharp, sometimes C sharp.
Most of the time, the xeremía is in C or C sharp. This means that the grall and the trompa are in C 3 or C sharp 3 , one drone in G 3 or G sharp 3 and the other in C 4 or C sharp 4 .
A few years ago, xeremíes were voted in C sharp. This unusual mood is due to a mix-up when the instrument began to be revived. In the 20th century, the xeremía , like many other traditional instruments, had almost disappeared. During the 1970s / 1980s there was a strong movement to regain Mallorcan identity and traditions. This development of regaining the culture of the individual peoples could be observed all over Europe.
One of the most important achievements of this movement was the revival of the xeremía , which was practically extinct. There were barely a dozen instruments left. Therefore the old instruments were measured. The last instrument that came from a truly authentic instrument maker came from a time when the instruments were still in D. Measured against the modern tuning in 440 Hz, the old Mallorcan xeremíes seemed to be in D flat or C sharp.
The instruments in C sharp stand next to those that are tuned in C, and which are used more and more frequently in lessons and by groups ( estols ). There are currently efforts to revive the tuning in D (a very clear sound when playing outdoors, but not very stable in the intonation), to maintain the tuning in C (musically versatile) or the tuning in B (melodious and fairly intonation stable).
history
For the origins see the article Bagpipe
The first clear evidence of bagpipes on the Iberian Peninsula dates back to the Middle Ages. It is known that the Arabs knew and played the instrument. (Some think they took them over from the Goths, others think they are of Celtic origin). The first written evidence comes from the 9th century in an apocryphal (!) Letter from St. Jerome , in which it says:
“The chorus is a simple leather hose with two tubes made of brass. The player blows into one and the chorus emits the sound through the second. "
The influence of the court of Aragon and that of Catalonia on the Balearic Islands and the intense cultural ties between the areas north and south of the Pyrenees , combined with the Catalan domination in Occitania, which was an outstanding cultural center, brought the figures of troubadours and minstrels emerged. In 1209 came a large number of troubadours and minstrels who had fled Occitania from the repression they had been subjected to by the rulers of northern France led by Pope Innocent III. were influenced. The bagpipes can be found especially in the places where there was contact with the Aragonese-Catalan court.
When Jacob I of Aragón "el Conqueridor" conquered Mallorca and Ibiza and settled his Catalan vassals there, they brought their bagpipes, the saco de gemecs , from which the xeremia mallorquina is derived.
A document from the archives of the Crown of Aragon mentions a certain "Joan Mascum, bagpipe player of the King of Mallorca" in connection with King James III. , and it is known that the musicians of the Mallorcan king moved together with bagpipe players from Tortosa to the court of Peter IV "el Ceremonioso" in 1353 . There is also news that the minstrels met from all over the world, especially during Lent.
There are reports that point to the existence of instruments of the bagpipe genre around the year 1119 in Barcelona and 1258 in Valencia , where it is reported that "two horn players, two drummers and a bagpipe" took part in the St. Dionyisios procession . From 1335 on there are many written references to the bagpipe. Since then it has spread and become more popular. Shepherds and beggars began to use them, although the form was still very simple.
During the reign of Alfonso V of Aragon (= IV. Of Catalonia) , called "el Magnánimo", the instrument spread, along with other cultural achievements, in the areas of royalty in the Mediterranean. It is documented in Naples for 1420 that there were musicians who played xalamias .
In the 19th century some changes took place in the instrument that gradually made it what we know today. The development of other musical instruments replaced the bagpipe, as the pitch range was no more than an octave. Since it was difficult to modernize, it remained a simple, undeveloped instrument. While there was a decline in the rest of the Catalan regions, it was not as pronounced in the Balearic Islands due to the isolation and the very peasant society, and the instrument has been preserved in the local culture.
Television, which emerged in the mid-20th century and influenced popular culture, served to convey the official, Francoist conception of culture, which resulted in a limited view of the different cultures (the Gaita was considered Galician, the dance Aragonese, the Flamenco as Andalusian ...). That made it difficult to perceive one's own culture. The particular dynamic with which other entertainment offerings , such as the cinema, spread, also had a noticeable influence on the disappearance of many groups of xeremiers , which became less and less in the course of the 20th century. In 1965 one of the last xeremiers , Francesc Pasqual, known as el Tonos, died .
The general custom of transferring the instrument from one hand to the next when the owner died, caused the construction of the instrument to decline significantly. The sale of the old xeremies as souvenirs for tourists was also a cause of the crisis that the Mallorcan bagpipe went through.
The xeremía , closely related to the sac de gemecs , was preserved in the deep layers of the traditional culture of the Balearic Islands, and at the end of the 20th century it was rescued and redistributed by some folklore and cultural groups.
There are two periods in terms of the form of the xeremía . From the 12th to the 16th centuries, instruments with or without a trompa coexisted. Since the 16th century, the instrument took on the shape it has today, with drones hanging over the sack. The direct connection of this bagpipe with the sac de gemecs is reflected in the only difference that in the sac de gemecs all drones sound, while with the xeremies two can only serve as jewelry.
The cobla
The xeremia was usually played in a group called the Cobla de tres quartans ("three-quarter band"). This line-up is commonly called Ses Xeremíes ("The Xeremies"). Nowadays a smaller line-up is common, the media copla (Mallorcan also colla ) which only includes the xeremía (bagpipe) and the flabiol ( one-handed flute ) with the tamboril (hand drum).
Depending on the composition, a distinction is made between the following coblas :
- The "half" cobla
It consists of a bagpipe, a one-handed flute and a hand drum. This occupation is very popular in the Balearic Islands and Catalonia. The xeremia and the flabiol (plus tamboril ) sound together with the same volume and without one instrument covering the other.
- The "three quarters" cobla
It consists of a bagpipe, a tarota ( shawm ), a flabiol and a tamboret (hand drum), which are played by three musicians. Flabiol and tamboril are played by the same musician. This is where the term "three quarters" comes from. It has a medieval origin and goes back to the groups of minstrels.
In the 18th century the coblas de ministrils ("Stadtpfeiferkapellen") were formed from a hand flute, hand drum, shawm and bagpipe. They played a very important role in the various festivals and occasions that were celebrated in the localities. The Cobla was musically well coordinated. The drum was responsible for the rhythm and the long notes, the bagpipe played the melody and harmonies. The hand flute doubled the melody and gave the notes brilliance, while the shawm played the role of the second melody part (it sounded an octave lower than xeremía and flabiol ).
repertoire
In keeping with the long history of the instrument, the repertoire of the xeremía is very rich and increases when it is viewed in conjunction with the colla .
There are two distinct periods. A first in which the musical tradition was fixed. Each xeremiers duo maintained their own repertoire without recording new pieces. They even prevented other duos from taking over their own pieces, which resulted in them not playing collas in front of other duos to prevent someone from copying their songs. This period has resulted in different musical styles between groups from different localities. In the second period the music was spread and learned the same.
Pieces from the time shortly after the island was conquered by the King of Aragón have survived, such as the danzas de los cossiers in Montuïri , Algaida , Manacor and Pollença , or the cavallets that are danced in Felanitx , Pollença and Artà . The same applies to the dances to Sant Joan Pelós (also Sant Joan Pelut ), by the Moratons , the Indis and the Balls de Cintes , the latter of which have practically disappeared today. Along with these pieces, others are also played, for example Jotas y Boleros , as well as pasodobles , rumbas , waltzes , etc.
Idioms
There are a number of popular idioms with the term xeremía . Some relate it to the serenity of the instrument, others to its shape or sound. For example, there are the following expressions:
- Content com unes xeremies , "As happy as a bagpipe".
- Plorar com unes xeremies , "Crying like a bagpipe".
- Dits, dits, que vent no en falta "Finger, finger, may you always have wind".
- Riure-se'n des Sant i ses xeremies “ To laugh at the saint and the bagpipe”.
- Mes inflat que unes xeremies , " more inflated than a bagpipe".
supporting documents
- ↑ XEREMIES I XEREMIERS A MALLORCA (Link correction: October 10, 2012)
- ↑ a b c d e Brenno: Xeremies mallorquina, un poco de lenguas, geografia e historia. 2002, archived from the original on October 21, 2002 ; Retrieved November 30, 2007 (Catalan).
- ↑ a b tourism-mallorca.com: una mica d'història. In: LA XEREMIA. 2000, accessed May 17, 2015 .
- ↑ Quoted in Curt SACHS: Historia universal de los instrumentos de música, Buenos Aires, Centurión, 1947, p. 269
Web links
- La xeremia ( Memento from March 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- Els Xeremiers des Puig de Sa Font
- Associació Cultural Grallalsac
- Xeremiers de Sóller