|
CD in DVD-sized case with 40 pages of in depth information in the booklet
19,50 € plus 5,00 € international p&p
|
For many people, the bagpipe resembles a certain part of the male anatomy and is synonymous with harsh and vulgar noises. Small wonder, then, that the bagpipe has often been
thought of as an obscene and demonic noise making machine.
So how did images of bagpipes get into Cologne Cathedral? At least seventeen bagpipe depictions from the last seven centuries can be found both on the inside and on the facade of this monumental Rhenish cathedral - in stained glass windows, fl oor mosaics, stone sculptures and wood carvings. Dancing musicians, chimeras (half human – half animal), shepherds and even angels can be found playing the bagpipes.
In the past, whilst the bagpipe was looked down upon as a musical instrument of the lower classes, it was also considered as an instrument for angelic choirs. It was therefore not only played at raucous banquets, but also as an accompaniment to religious chant during services.
The sound of the bagpipes combines the earthly and heavenly, and the comical and the cosmic. You can hear it as the baa of a lamb or the squealing of a pig (which evokes the origin of the bag made of animal skin). You can also hear it as a soft, elaborate bass in endless harmony, evoking the divine.
Full cheeks or bellows help the player to inflate the bag, which is pressed with the elbow. This propels the air to the chanter which causes the reeds to vibrate. Most bagpipes use a chanter with holes, and one or more bass-pipes, which produce a monotonous sound - the so-called “drone”. In the Middle Ages the instrument was used for many different musical purposes. During choral recitals and dance tunes the drones produced a sound carpet below the melody line. During the Renaissance period polyphony developed, and a taste for harmony developed – which the drone seemed to disturb.
This new taste in music almost rendered the bagpipe obsolete. Folk music helped the bagpipe to survive, not
only in Scotland, but also between Malta and Malmö and from Spanish to Polish Galicia.
The “Sackpief” was the Rhenish version of the bagpipe, documented in pictures and descriptions right through from medieval times to the beginning of the 19th century (when this tradition ended).
The Quartet was inspired by the bagpipe depictions of Cologne Cathedral, and started a project on the unique history of the bagpipe. The idea was not to reconstruct the sounds of the past centuries in a precise historical fashion, but rather to go on a creative and colourful tour, embracing tunes from the Rhineland and other regions, church music, fair ground and carnival music, and even our own compositions.
Tom Daun
The musicians of SPILLŸCK are committed to the musical tradition of the ancient duchies of Jülich / Cleve / Berg. Long forgotten believed dances from the Lower Rhine, such as brisk polkas and Rhinelander dances bring the feet of the audience to rocking, inviting to dance. Bright hymns of the composer Johann Wilhelm Wilms from Witzhelden, a contemporary of Beethoven, and melancholy ballads can be heard from the musicologist Anton Wilhelm von Zuccalmaglio`s collection.
The sound of SPILLŸCK is dominated by the bagpipes. These were in earlier times in Europe, including in the Rhineland and in the region of Berg, very popular - as documented by the beautiful images with bagpipes playing angels in the enormous stained-glass-window of Altenberg Cathedral, and the carvings in the choir stalls, with bagpipes playing devils – as in numerous other churches and chapels in the region.
The musicians of SPILLŸCK usually play in the old Rhenish / Berg costumes, presenting anecdotes and interesting facts from ancient times.
Line-Up:
|
