"Musette" as bagpipe

[ColoRodney]

I was in at the Granet Museum in Aix-en-Provence, and saw this painting from 1735 by Hyacinthe Rigaud. (I happened to be in Aix on the one day of the month that there's a jazz manouche jam at the 3C Cafe, but since I hadn't brought my axe I had to sit in on piano instead of accordion. But that's another story.)

The informational label described the instrument in the painting as a "musette," which reminded me that most sources say that the Parisian description of accordion as "musette" comes from the "bal musette," dance music originally brought in from the countryside and played on a bagpipe.

Based on this painting, the French musette bagpipe was similar to the uillean pipes in that it uses a right-arm bellows to fill the bag rather than the mouthpipe used by Scottish and Balkan pipes I've seen. I've played with several uillean pipers, but I've never seen a set this fancy. The dog seems to like it.

(Sorry about the blue blotches, that's weird reflections on the glass.)

 

[oldbayan]

In French dictionaries the word "musette" describes this instrument, or a small oboe, and also a musical piece using the instrument.
By extension, the sound of the French accordion took the name due to its similarity with the wind instrument.

They call "bal musette" the events where people danced with accordion music. The "accordéon musette" is also a typical playing style of the French popular dance music.

 

[dunlustin]

You have discovered the "Musette de Cour" - the up-market version of the 'musette' which also just means 'little bag.'
It's the bag that gives the name - not how the reed is driven/presence or absence of drones.
See also 'la cabrette' ( = 'little goat') - Auvergne pipes said to have been brought to Paris by coal merchants (Charbonniers) from that region.
Unlikely link but they started the first 'bals' using cabrettes which were later overtaken by the accordion due to Italian influence.
Accordion tuning in central France was said to be 'inspired'(??) by the sound of the cabrette - arguably comparable to Scottish wide tuning and the skirl of the Highland pipes.

 

[Squeezebox Of Delights]

Birgit Bornauw is a good musetteist (?) and plays in a duo with Benjamin Macke on melodeon and basse aux pieds. It's a pretty incredible sound, especially with two of them! The video describes the instrument as a Baroque musette, but it's the same thing as the Musette de Cour. It just looks little less fancy!

 

[ColoRodney]

Fun video! I see that this musette (like the Uilean pipes) can actually be shut off mid-tune, which they demonstrate a few times, by putting the chanter against the thigh. Scottish pipes are on until the tune is over. And yes, these are less fancy than the bagpipe in the painting, but pretty much ALL bagpipes are less fancy than the one in the painting... 1700s glam, amirite?

 

[ColoRodney]

And I assume that the various pieces by J.S. Bach and his contemps called "musette" were probably recalling this set of pipes. Whether or not he actually intended it to be played on the pipes.

 

[Pipemajor]

Scottish pipes are on until the tune is over.

Not at all.
The sound is produced by the pressure on the bag,
Release the pressure and the pipes stop.
There used to be a young boy on you tube playing "How Much is that Doggy in the Window" complete with the "Bow Wow".
It's all a matter of control.

 

[JerryPH]

I don't know but that was awesome!

 

[dunlustin]

If interested in the 'wanderings' of the musette then: