Description
“Obermeiers Bordun-Polyphonie – Volume 2” brings you a fascinating collection of traditional and newly composed melodies, compiled by Jürgen Obermeier. This volume, specially arranged for polyphonic bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy ensembles, can of course also be performed on many other instruments.
Expanding the repertoire
The second volume of Polyphonie expands this interesting collection of contemporary drone music with a further 32 traditional and newly composed melodies. This volume contains mainly French melodies and offers 33 scores for four and five voices, of which 21 melodies are of traditional origin and 12 are by contemporary traditional musicians.
Musical adaptability
The keys and parts in “Obermeier’s drone polyphony – Volume 2” have been chosen so that they can be played by hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes in G/C or D/G tuning, but also by other musical instruments with the necessary range. The bass clef system is intended for cello, but can be used for any other bass instrument.
Musical freedom and versatility
The various accompaniment parts in “Obermeier’s drone polyphony – Volume 2” are set in such a way that polyphonic playing is possible. It is advisable to amplify the melody line, especially when using bagpipes. The melody lines are underlaid with harmony designations for the use of guitars or other harmony instruments.
International perspective
Features of all 3 volumes: four-language introduction (German, English, French and Dutch) to the music and tips on instrumentation and scoring. This enables broader accessibility and applicability for an international audience.
Diverse range of music
Contents such as bourrée, gigue, marche and many other traditional forms enrich this work. From “Bourrée de Clermont-Ferrand” to “Valse à Lindscheid”, this volume offers a wide range of musical pieces suitable for both traditional performances and modern interpretations.
Your next step into the world of music
With “Obermeier’s drone polyphony – Volume 2” you not only receive a collection of scores, but also an invitation to expand and deepen your musical skills. This volume offers everything you need to challenge and develop yourself and your ensemble musically. Take the opportunity to enrich your repertoire with multi-layered melodies of both traditional and contemporary origin. Order now and experience the captivating world of drone music!
Foreword
This second volume of “Obermeier’s Polyphony” with predominantly French melodies contains 33 scores for four and five voices. 21 melodies are considered traditional, but I have not always been able to assign them to their exact areas of origin in France. 12 melodies are of more recent origin and come from contemporary traditional musicians.
The keys and parts are again chosen so that they can be played by hurdy-gurdies and bagpipes in G/C or D/G tuning (except for parts marked 23p), but also by other musical instruments with the necessary range. The bass clef system is intended for cello, but can be used for any other bass instrument. I have tried to take into account that the drone instruments mentioned do not have all the notes of the semitone scale. In the cases of a prescribed minor second, which is available on very few bagpipes, or a second below the fundamental of the hurdy-gurdy, alternative notes were suggested in the form of double notes.
I have set the various accompanying parts in such a way that polyphonic playing is possible. However, it is advisable to reinforce the melody line, especially when using bagpipes, or to combine the voices of a piece in different ways. The melody lines have been underlaid with harmony markings. These can be taken into account when using guitars or other harmony instruments. The system designations refer to central French bagpipes and have the following meaning:
16p: 16 pouces (thumbs) stands for bagpipes with fundamental and drones in G (Sol) (drones in fifths tuning D (Re) may have to be stopped. Possible keys: G major / G minor and C major / C minor. These systems can be played by hurdy-gurdies in G/C.
20p: 20 pouces stands for bagpipes with fundamental and drones in D (Re) (drones in fifths tuning A (LA) must be switched off when playing with 16p instruments. Possible keys are D major / D minor (not used here) and G major / G minor. These systems can be adopted by hurdy-gurdies in “Bourbonnais tuning”, i.e. D/G.
23p: 23 pouces stands for bagpipes with fundamental and drones in C (Do). Drones in fifths tuning G (Sol) can be used in combination with 16p instruments. Possible keys C major / C minor and F major / F minor (not used here). Hurdy-gurdies in D/G can only be used after retuning the strings from D (Re) to C (Do).
Vc: Violoncello stands for any suitable bass instrument.
My thanks go to the well-known musicians Jean Blanchard, Frédéric Bordois and Marc Malempré for the right to use their melodies with my arrangement in this volume. Once again, I would like to thank Hans-Georg Lenzen for his kind offer to use some of his drawings to decorate and design the following pages. This is only a small selection of the many drawings created by H.-G. Lenzen at various “bordunmusical meetings”.
Michelbach, October 1997
Jürgen Obermeier
Author:in
Jürgen Obermeier
Jürgen Obermeier is an author who specializes in traditional music, especially in the field of drone music. He has published a number of works dealing with traditional and new drone music. His publications, such as the series “Obermeiers Bordun-Polyphonie”, contain interesting traditional and newly composed melodies for polyphonic bagpipe and hurdy-gurdy ensembles, which can also be played on many other instruments. Jürgen Obermeier’s books offer a valuable resource for musicians and those interested in the tradition and renewal of drone music.
