Description
“Bagpipes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia” – This bronze figure of a bagpiper from the 16th century in front of Queen Anna’s summer residence in Prague reflects the longevity and culture of the Bock bagpipes. Discover the impressive variations of the Bock bagpipes through the expertise of Pavel Cíp and Rudolf F. Klapka.
How a hobby became a passion
A fondness for music and an encounter with an out-of-print book gave rise to the idea for this work. A collaboration nurtured by both face-to-face meetings and digital communication resulted in this comprehensive and detailed collection.
Book with practical benefits
Instead of a conventional treatise, this book “Bagpipes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia” offers practical insights. On 224 lovingly designed pages you will learn about the buck: its history, construction methods and the art of reed making, supplemented by building instructions and a playing school.
Culture and craftsmanship combined
A chapter in “Bagpipes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia” sheds light on the literary significance of bagpipes. The accompanying CD complements the book perfectly with music examples and construction plans to print out, ideal for music lovers and professionals.
Learn the art of bagpipe making
The book guides you through the process of bagpipe making with detailed instructions. From the selection of materials to the completion of each piece, every step is explained in detail so that you can apply the techniques yourself.
Music that connects and inspires
The CD contains not only traditional tunes, but also complete construction plans for two types of bagpipes, making the book an indispensable tool for anyone who wants to study bagpipes in depth.
Your way into the world of bagpipes
“Bagpipes in Bohemia, Moravia and Silesia” offers you comprehensive knowledge from history to practical implementation. With its combination of informative text and practical tools, this book is essential for anyone interested in building and playing bagpipes. Don’t miss the opportunity to expand your knowledge and get actively involved in the creation and use of this traditional instrument. Get your copy now and embark on a fascinating chapter in music history.
Foreword
An old proverb says that a man should plant a tree, build a house and father a son in his lifetime. Perhaps it doesn’t exactly speak for me, but none of these alternatives appealed to me, and as I pondered under the haze of my mid-life crisis what I intended to leave behind for posterity, I thought of a fourth option in addition to the above, which seemed to me to be well worth considering and not quite so sweaty: writing a book! The only thing I was missing was a suitable topic.
At the same time, I developed a fateful preference for music in which bagpipes and bagpipes play a major role. While scouring the sheer endless expanses of the Internet, I came across the book “Böhmischer Bock. Production, ornamentation, tuning” by Pavel Číp and Josef Režný, with the word “out of print” written in red capital letters next to it. But that in no way dampened my enthusiasm, and since Pavel’s name is synonymous with quality and the Bohemian Bock in European bagpipe playing circles, it didn’t take long for me to order the book directly from the author by phone. After the extremely quick delivery of both eagerly awaited language versions of the book (German and Czech), I fell under the bagpipe spell completely, and as I was currently on the aforementioned search for a book topic, my hitherto gloomy future began to clear up a little, and my reluctance to write was also blown away.
It didn’t take me long to convince Pavel of the necessity of saving my battered ego – or rather, of the need to publish his book on a larger and more modern scale – and so we began to weave together the first threads of the book concept, first by phone and by you, and later at a personal meeting in Sedlec near Mikulov in southern Moravia, this time already on a first-name basis.
This book, which was created through countless phone calls, emails and letters that carried our thoughts back and forth between Vienna and Zubří, during many sleepless nights, thanks to the immeasurable patience and compassion of our wives, with the selfless help of many employees of several museums, sons, daughters and friends on both sides of borders that almost no longer exist today, in no way claims to be complete on this richly ramified topic. Rather, it is the essence of Pavel’s many years of experience in the design, construction and ornamentation of this old and almost forgotten musical instrument.
The book enables an interested reader to build his own instrument by imparting the necessary technical and historical-musical knowledge. Our dream with this book is not “only” to reach a pre-occupied audience, but also the casual visitor to a bookshop, who may harbor talents that prove invaluable for the rescue, development and care of such old instruments.
I am well aware that some theses – especially those concerning typology – will be a red rag to all “bagpipe connoisseurs”. So I would like to emphasize that nothing is further from our minds than a deliberate provocation. However, as we are tired of repeating what we have already written a thousand times, we have tried to present a different perspective – and hope to reveal some little-known or almost forgotten details to our audience.
Rudolf F. Klapka
Vienna, in the year of our Lord 2006
Text on the back of the book
In this book you will find:
- An insight into the history of bagpipes in the Czech crown lands
- Detailed instructions for tuning bagpipes and making reeds
- A short guide to making your own bagpipes
- Small play school
- Fairy tales and stories about the bagpipes
- Accompanying CD with recordings of selected performers and complete technical documentation for two types of bagpipes
Opinions on the book:
“A very fine book that contains a wealth of first-class information from the wealth of experience of one of the true masters, makers of bagpipes and connoisseurs of traditional making techniques. In my opinion, this work is indispensable for anyone interested in bagpipes – from researchers-organologists to “apprentices” of bagpipe making.”
doc. Vlastislav Matoušek, Ph.D.
Institute of Musicology (FF UK) and AMU, Prague
“The book offers a balanced view of the bagpipe and gajdosh regions in our country. Particularly noteworthy is the authors’ endeavor to generously present to the reader everything that is useful and indispensable for a publication on bagpipes. With the help of this book, the reader can become a bagpipe player or maker. Some chapters could easily have been written by a renowned musicologist.”
PhDr. František Malý, Head of Department
the history of music, Moravian Museum, Brno
Author:inside
Rudolf F. Klapka
Pavel Číp
Pavel Číp, born on 24 June 1944 in Zubří, is a remarkable personality in traditional craftsmanship and musical instrument making, specializing in the production of bagpipes and historical musical instruments. He developed a passion for craftsmanship and folk music at a young age. His career began with the production of wooden toys and objects, which he delivered to the Center for Folk Art, for which he was awarded the title of Master of Folk Art. Inspired by his teacher and folklorist Josef Orsága Vranecký, Číp began repairing and making bagpipes, an activity he took up professionally in the 1980s and established himself as a leading manufacturer in the Czech Republic and Moravia.
Číp graduated from the Secondary School of Industrial Design in Vsetín and devoted himself to woodcarving in his youth, developing in-depth knowledge and skills in the processing of wood. He received a certificate of professional qualification in the field of woodworking and was also crowned Master of Folk Art. In the 1970s and 1980s, he worked at the Center for Folk Art, where he produced traditional wooden goods and folk art toys. After the death of his mentor Orsága Vranecký, Číp continued his work by making the first Moravian bagpipes after studying the necessary documentation and consulting experts. His company, Pavel Číp & Sons, today produces bagpipes and gajdy, builds and restores historical bagpipes, makes flutes from animal horns and double-reed instruments such as shawms and crumhorns, and in 1995 was the only one in the Czech Republic to start making wooden recorders. In 2008, Číp was recognized as a bearer of the tradition of folk crafts for its contributions to the preservation of traditional craftsmanship.
Pavel Číp’s work not only reflects his craftsmanship and his deep connection to traditional culture, but also shows his contribution to the preservation and transmission of the cultural heritage of the Czech Republic.
