Description
Following the great success of the Sackpfeifen-Fibel, the first comprehensive textbook for the medieval bagpipe, we are pleased to present a groundbreaking new collection of sheet music “50 Melodies”. This collection promises to enrich every musician’s repertoire with fresh melodies and new ideas.
From the idea to realization
Initiated by the renowned musicians Brian Haase (FABULA) and Thomas Zöller (formerly Estampie), the collection “50 Melodies” was created in response to the noticeable lack of high-quality sheet music for medieval instruments. Their collaboration at the bagpipe academy in Hofheim, coupled with the desire to share their own playing techniques and musical ideas, led to the creation of this unique collection of sheet music. Over the course of almost a year, they collected, arranged and perfected material, supported by advice from colleagues on specific repertoire questions.
A kaleidoscope of melodies
At the center of this collection are “50 melodies” for the medieval (market) bagpipe, taken from the rich traditional repertoire of Brittany, Ireland, Italy, the Balkans and Scotland. In addition to these traditional gems, there are also songs from the Cantigas de Santa Maria and innovative compositions by the authors and other musicians. All pieces were recorded by Thomas Zöller and Brian Haase and are available to listen to and play via an online database.
About the notation
The collection “50 Melodies” is based on the proven ornamentation system of the bagpipe primer, which is not only easy to understand, but can also be flexibly transferred to other instruments such as hurdy-gurdy or shawm. This allows the ornaments to be modified or omitted as required, which underlines the universality of the collection.
Multilingual explanations
All texts and explanations in “50 Melodies” are available in both German and English to ensure broad accessibility. The publication of further volumes is also planned in order to continuously expand the repertoire.
This collection of sheet music “50 Melodies” is therefore not only an enrichment for musical practice, but also an indispensable resource for the study and performance of medieval music. It invites musicians to expand their repertoire and immerse themselves in the musical traditions of Europe.
Foreword
The idea
As part of our work at the bagpipe academy, we, Brian and Thomas, meet several times a week. We exchange ideas, talk about the last concerts and make new plans together. The idea for this collection of sheet music was born in the fall of 2009. Today, about a year later, our first collection of 50 pieces for the bagpipe (and other instruments) is complete.
About this collection
The current repertoire of the bagpipe consists of a colorful mixture of traditional and modern pieces. The actual origin of these pieces is often unclear. As a result, we came across some inconsistencies during our research. On the one hand, some of the pieces were not of historical origin at all, but were in fact modern compositions. On the other hand, we found pieces that were taken from existing folk traditions and are now played under new fantasy names.
With this collection, we want to shed some light on the subject. It therefore contains not only sheet music, but also background information on the pieces, their origins, the composers, etc.
To the notation
In the summer of 2009, Thomas published the Sackpfeifen-Fibel together with the Verlag der Spielleute. An elementary component of this textbook is the ornamentation system, which we also use for this sheet music collection. Even though we have put a lot of thought into the placement of the embellishment notes, you don’t have to use them in exactly the same way. So feel free to adapt the embellishment notes to your own style.
Furthermore, some of the pieces we have selected exceed or fall short of the shawm’s range. We have therefore rewritten the melodies in the relevant places so that you can play them on the bagpipe. We have also printed the “original version” in an orange color. So if you play an instrument that has a wider range, you can also follow the original progression of the piece.
In some pieces we have put suggestions in brackets, which look like this: () The reason for this is that you can only sometimes play the suggestion given at this point, depending on which part of the piece (A, B, C or D) you are coming from. If such a “suggestion” occurs in a piece, additional information is given in the background information for this piece.
For players of other bagpipes or instruments
The pieces contained in this sheet music collection can of course also be played on other bagpipes or instruments such as hurdy-gurdy, nyckelharpa etc. So if you don’t want to play the melodies on the practice whistle, the practice bagpipe or on the bagpipe itself, simply leave out the ornamentation notes or replace them with instrument-specific ones.
Concluding words
We would like to thank Jochen Eßrich, Allan MacDonald of Glenuig, Werner Rindle and Ernst Schwindl for making their compositions available to us for publication. We would also like to thank the following people who have given us their time and knowledge with regard to the contents of this collection: Clemens Bieger, Tristan le Govic, Rob Bester, Tom Kannmacher, Masaki Kato, Meike Michel, Nicola Kownatzky, Jürgen Leo, Mattia van Dienst and the Saxon State Library in Dresden.
Special thanks go to the brothers Frank and Stefan Wulff. The members of the band OUGENWEIDE have provided us with the “Merseburg Magic Spell” and the “Horse Blessing” for publication. Founded in 1970, the band did a lot of pioneering work in the field of “medieval rock” and is still a role model and inspiration for many bands and musicians today.
We hope you, the reader and musician, enjoy our first collection of sheet music.
With best wishes,
Brian and Thomas in fall 2010
Author:inside
Thomas Zöller
Thomas Zöller discovered his love of bagpipe and drone music at an early age. In 1995, at Rüdiger Oppermann’s summer music festival, he dared to take his first steps on a French bagpipe and the hurdy-gurdy.
The sound of the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe led him to study this bagpipe and its repertoire intensively in 1996. Over the years, Scottish Smallpipes and Borderpipes were added. In collaboration with the instrument maker Nigel Richard, he expanded their tonal possibilities with the aid of keys.
On his instruments, he sees himself as a border crosser, exploring the traditional repertoire while always searching for new paths and timbres. From 2002-2005, he studied Scottish music with a major in Great Highland Bagpipe at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and the National Piping Centre in Glasgow, Scotland. He is the first mainland European to successfully complete this nationally recognized course of study.
His musical activities range from medieval music to pop productions. As a permanent band member, guest or studio musician he played with and for: Adelante, Adversus, Andras Zauberband, Anna-Maria Kaufmann, Às a’ Phìob, ASP, Chieftains, Estampie, Fabula, HOMEBOUND, Otterflug, Qntal.
Since 2007, he has been the artistic director of the Interceltic Folk Festival, which brings internationally renowned musicians from the folk scene to Hofheim a. Ts. for several consecutive days. leads.
In the summer of 2005 he founded the Bagpipe Academy, the first professional bagpipe school in Germany. The latter sees its task in conveying culture instead of cliché, interpretation instead of imitation. It sees itself as a German center for various European bagpipe traditions and teaches them in individual and group lessons and workshops. Together with the Centre for Gaelic Language and Culture in Bonn, she organizes the Stòras Òran winter school.
Brian Haase
Brian Haase, known by his stage name Briantanus, is a versatile personality in the world of traditional music, especially in the field of medieval and folk music. His musical journey began in 1995 with the founding of the medieval-mystic-folk band FABULA AETATIS. He is not only trained in classical recorder, guitar and percussion (under Said Ibrahim), but is also a self-taught specialist in the medieval bagpipe.
His talent and passion for music led him to various projects and bands. His time with the band Cultus Ferox, which he co-founded in 2002 and shaped until 2005, was a distinctive part of his career. This phase was both formative and trend-setting for Brian. He has been active again with FABULA (Aetatis) since 2006.
Brian has acquired extensive expertise and new playing techniques for the medieval bagpipe through his collaboration with other musicians such as Thomas Zöller. He has been teaching at the Bagpipe Academy since 2008 and has developed a special perspective and relationship with this historic instrument.
His projects include GRAFENWIND, a collaboration with Joachim Schiefer and Thomas Zöller, and ELISIR, a studio and CD project with TEC that encompasses styles such as ambient folk, soundtrack, electronic and trance.
Brian is considered one of the leading bagpipe players on the medieval scene. He has expanded his skills and knowledge through intensive self-study and playing practice. He is not only an experienced performer, but also a dedicated teacher who passes on his knowledge and passion for the bagpipes at the Dresden Bagpipe School and the Bagpipe Academy in Hofheim am Taunus.
His commitment to traditional music is also reflected in his participation in numerous recordings and the publication of the sheet music collection “50 Melodien für die Sackpfeife Band 1” together with Thomas Zöller. His passionate research and arrangements of traditional pieces help to revitalize and develop bagpipe music in Germany.
