CULTURAL ASSOCIATION
ABRUZZO
OF BAGPIPES AND CIARAMELLE IN
Association purposes
The Association intends to promote and organize social cultural activities and
initiatives in order to request the popular participation, the civil and social
engagement of citizens, without any political qualification, in order to revive the
development, study and re- discovery of sheep-rearing and transhumance values, of
musical instruments as Abruzzo bagpipe and fife, and of songs and sounds with
particular reference to Maiella and Morrone territory.
Moreover this association wants to promote and contribute to a cultural improvement
for those who are disposed to approach to the study of all Abruzzo popular traditions,
usages and customs through promotion initiatives and those activities which are
considered fit for educational, cultural and artistic sectors; fit for the defence and
exploitation of artistic, historical and archaeological property, of nature and
environment, local traditions, tourism and folklore; fit for the re-discovery of old
equipment, manufactures, natural works and creations carried out by the shepherds.
This Association desires to attend and/or to promote all the most suitable
manifestations inclined to rescue and emphasize the traditional patrimony by
revaluating the figure of Abruzzo piper in every manifestation of the ancient life. To
these ends the Association is going to act through some programmes and projects of
intervention. In particular, it is going to carry out the activities listed below as a mere
exemplification with possibility to enlarge them also to what has not been listed
according to the statutory deliberations:
Cultural activities:
organization, preparation and management of manifestations, exhibitions, reviews;
representations of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, meetings, conferences, round tables,
discussions; seminars and links.
Editorial activities:
publication of magazines, gazettes; actions and seminar meetings, publication of
studies, research and of advertising instruments.
Multicultural activities:
concerning the Abruzzo emigrants.
The whole is in the first two already operative centres in Roccamontepiano and Chieti
Scalo, where lessons of first approach for the traditional instruments as the bagpipe,
fife and ddu bbott (Abruzzo diatonic organs) are in progress.
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CULTURAL ASSOCIATION OF BAGPIPES AND CIARAMELLE IN ABRUZZO
Introduction of :
Antonello Di Matteo
Carlo Michitti
Gerardo Vittoria
Tonino Toracchio
THE BAGPIPE
The word Bagpipe means the whole family of musical instruments from the common
characteristics and form so many names (bagpipes; pipe; gaita; etc.). It is a musical instrument
where air is blown into three flue pipes provided with reed-tongues named quills ( calami) or
also chanters (according to the English terminology) or more properly called: the left and the
right, or again the “totara male” and the “totara female”, of a bourdon that send forth an only
one fixed note (sonorous bourdon) and of a more small bourdon denominated mute. The upper
part or head of the bagpipe is anchored to a knapsack that is directly inflated by the performer’s
breath by means of a pierced mouthpiece in wood called “insuflatore” and of a valve that
allows to hold air into the sack when the performer breathes. After the blown air has reached
one determined and specific pressure, the reeds put on in vibration, sending forth the
characteristic sound. Since the flow of air cannot be interrupted, when the performer has to
breathe, he gives a flow of constant air to the reeds pressing the knapsack with his right arm.
This movement is imperceptible, and only who knows the technical formality of the bagpipe
can perceive it.
Then the bagpipe cannot perform breaks. Today the bagpipe is particularly known to all of us
because it preannounces the Christmas coming but if we look at the past times, we can learn
that the bagpipe was used not only during Christmas period throughout our Abruzzo territory,
but it had a well precise calendar of the performances during the year.
Music and popular songs: from Epiphany in then up to the 28th of November in the same year.
Holy music: from on the 29th of November up to 8th December “Novena to Our Lady”.
Pastoral and Christmas songs: from on the 9th of December up to the Epiphany.
Historical signs
Bagpipe is an instrument of very ancient origins already known by the Asian European
people, by the Sanniti and used by the Romans whose specific name was
UTRICULIARUM.
The music and songs in the sour-pastoral society performed with bagpipe and ciaramella
have always been one of the expressions concerning the inferior middle class that
according to the occasions they transmitted messages well precise. We are talking about a
period where the social disparities were very marked. They were very often attitudes of
redemption concerning an inadequate social condition by means of violent behaviours (
songs, satires and dances) towards the upper classes and mainly represented a safety valve
of a society living in everlasting disappointment. But the popular song had the purpose of
the woman courtship as prelude of a possible marriage or the famous reasons on disputes (
or more exactly named “a ccurriv” “a dispetto”; “in spite of”), caused by delusions because
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of loves not returned, betrayals (by “betrayals” were meant also a kiss and/or pinch). These
songs were performed during work and moments of rest together with bagpipe and
ciaramella among many people who knew already what had happened and by very
appropriate rhymes everyone said all sorts of things. Moreover they were expression of
exultation in the sour-pastoral world for the end of the harvest of food commodities. In fact
the songs and the most unbridled dances were performed during the threshing, the harvest
of the corn, and during the vintage, as well as in the weddings, baptisms, popular parties.
AS TO PLAY BAGPIPE AND CIARAMELLA
 We should have to know well each component in which they consist, in order to try
playing these instruments:
 sonorous reeds:
they are the two quills (calami) and the bourdon (the second bourdon does not send forth any
sound). The quills are modulation reeds of sound. The charter on right is the melodic
sonorous reed, the charter on left is the rhythmical sonorous reed. But the bourdon is the
fixed sound pipe.
The difference among sound modulation pipes and fixed sound pipes is in the presence or not
of holes improperly called digital holes, because they are obstructed by fingers. Really, in the
first pipes, the appropriate closing of these holes decides the modulation. Instead, this is not
possible concerning the staff, because of the lack of these holes. The quills (calami) are made
of two parts:
 the spindle, provided with holes for notes and a reed- tongue on the spindle top;
 the bell, which is applied by screws on the calamo final part. There are two kinds of
bourdon : the sonorous bourdon, called “contro” (“against”) which is made of two
pieces connected each other so as to be wedged in. The mute bourdon which does
not spread sound because it is lacking of inside pipes (sometimes it is of use to empty
the leather bag of the moisture which develops when the temperature is very cold).
Another important component of the instrument is the leather bag. It acts as an
inexhaustible tank for the sound pipes. In ancient times the bag for air was made
of reversed kid or lambskin; nowadays are used inner tubes suitably covered
with fabric or woolly artificial skin. On the higher part in the bag is applied a
short pipe for alimentation, which is of use to collect breath indoors. A valve,
placed in the terminal part of this reed of blowing, does not allow the air to
come back into the mouth of the performer. The valve really closes the lower
hole of the wooden mouthpiece (“insuflatore”) by means of inside pressure
diffusing air in the bag, when it has been filled with the breath.
THE TUNING
The three sonorous reeds of the bagpipe with key, if you leave free to play
without obstructing any hole with the fingers, they send forth the same note (for
ex. instrument in SOL, the left and the bourdon are going to send forth note RE
of the same octave while the right will always send forth the note RE superior
octave”); (the bourdon always sends forth the fifth note of the tuning). The
tuning should be performed in this order:
- right reed (ritta)
- left reed (manca)
- Bourdon
On the bells of the sonorous reeds and in the right reed-tongue on the same pipe before
the bell, there are further holes that serve for a possible tuning of the last note, that lower.
The bourdon is the simplest reed to tune, the tuning is gotten by extending or shortening
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its components. Naturally a good tuning derives always from the availability of good
reeds. It is not necessary to remember that the reeds of bagpipe and ciaramella are double
reeds, (as the oboe, the bundle and counter-bundle); indeed the bagpipe in Abruzzo has
also been defined “ The countryside pastoral oboe in Abruzzo”.
WAX OF THE BEES
A part of the tuning concerns only the sonorous reeds to modulation of sound. Sometimes
happens that from the holes placed on the chanters doesn’t escape the corresponding note
and in order to correct the wrong intonation is used the wax of the bees. This material
very malleable, can easily be moulded around the hole of the sonorous reed, so that to
reduce its circumference and therefore a good deal of air that goes by it. The narrowing
of the hole determines a fall in tone of the note corresponding to that hole.
CIARAMELLA (Bagpipe)
The bagpipe is mainly a tool for accompaniment and for its modest notes, it must be
accompanied by another characteristic instrument, completely in wood, that acts as soloist,
called Ciaramella and/or pipe. It has the same ways of construction of the reeds of the
bagpipe; then two connected parts among them by means of a rudimental edging which is
manually carried out, putting in evidence the cleverness of the builder. The two parts are
called bourdon and bell; the bourdon is the part with holes, the bell is the extremity of the
bagpipe. The Ciaramella (Bagpipe) has nine holes and is grasped with both the hands as
following described: the five fingers of the left hand will go in correspondence of the four
nearest holes to the reed and the thumb on the back hole and the four fingers of the right
hand on the remaining four holes. There is a tenth hole which serves for a possible tuning
of the lowest note.
REED
The reed of the bagpipe is of different dimensions in comparison to the reeds of the
bagpipe. It is very massive and is directly taken by the performer who with the aid of his
lips is able to make some virtuosities and other musical accidents.
Regarding the tuning, we have to operate as in the bagpipe with the aid of the wax of the
bees in the holes.
Traduzione a cura della Dott.ssa Alessandra Cerimele
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