Sorbish/ Wendish Bagpipes.... especially the Mechawa

[sean an piobaire]

My fellow Pipers, here's a subject that is a bit obscure in the World of Bagpipes,
the Sorb or Wendish "Kozol" (Goat Pipe) and the "Mechawa" (the Smaller One).
To see and hear something of this Music, Please gOOgle the site of
the Sorb Folk Ensemble "Schleife" I tried to type out the URL here, but I
couldn't get it to take all the Letters, and I tried many times without success !
This ensemble also has a Page on My Space Music.
After reading the excellent Book by Josef Rezny "Der Sorbische Dudelsack"
(published at Budysin, Lusatia, OR Bautzen, Germany, 1993 and 1997)
I can safely say that The Sorb "Kozol" is very similar to the Wielkopolska Duda of West Central Poland,
and the Czech Dudy/Bohemian Bock.
The "Mechawa" is also described in Mr. Rezny's Book, and is of more interest to me,
as the "Mechawa" appears to be a Folk-Survival of the "Hummelchen" (Little Bee) as
depicted in Michael Praetorius' "Syntagma Musicum" (circa 1618).
Most of the Germanic Pipers/Makers of the current revival, loosely label a small "Schaferpfeife"
(Sheep herd's Pipe) as a "Hummelchen". The Praetorius Hummelchen actually looks like
a Northumbrian Small Pipe, and Ernst Eugen Schmidt, the author of many Books on
Germanic Bagpipes (such as "Vom Singenden Dudelsack", Balingen, 2005) wrote an article
for the Northumbrian Piper's Society annual, some years ago, on the possible origin of the "NSP" in
the Hummelchen, which it seems, is slightly earlier than the "NSP"on the time-line of the 1600s.
The Sorb Mechawa has 3 drones in a common stock and has a small, single-reeded Chanter.
I know that our "Celt-Pastor" also "Haunts the Halls" of another Germanic Bagpipe Blog similar
to this C&F forum, and since his English is so Good, I want to turn this over to him, as he has
most probably "Ploughed the Field" on this subject in greater detail than my rather thin knowledge
of German can get me. I remember that some Pipe maker in Slovakia makes these Mechawa(s)
Pipes, and there is a Biographic page on Tomaz Nawka and Steffen Kostorz, for the 1998 season
of the Vancouver B.C. Folk Festival, where they were guest Sorb Pipers.
If there are some more Knowledge-ABLE Pipers who have some more info about this subject,
Please come forward, OR As Humming "an Durd Fine" was the way to call up Finn McCool's "Fine" (Fin-Ya)
I'm Humming on my Hummelchen..... Starting Now !!! Huuuuuummmmm Sean Folsom

[MichaelLoos]

Hi Sean,
although I am not the Celt-Pastor, I will try to answer your questions as well as I can...
First of all, you are confusing two very similar names - the "Mechawa" is the second of the bigger bagpipes of the sorb people, tuned in F rather than Eb, with a straight drone, and a plain leather bag instead of the white goatskin.
The "Mechawka" is the smallpipe, as you described it, with three drones in a common stock and a single-reed, cylindrical-bore chanter. This instrument is extinct, although it has been reconstructed by Pavel Cíp I am not aware of anyone actually playing it. A very similar instrument was known in Bohemia under the name "Moldanky" of which a few specimen have survived in museums. It has been reconstructed by Pavel Cíp and can be heard on Josef Rezny's CD "The Hidden Spell of the czech Bagpipes". It seems to be very similar to the "Dudey" as described by Praetorius, the difference being in the tuning of the drones: while Praetorius gives Eb - Bb - Eb' for the drones, the Moldanky drones are tuned to tonic, third and fifth. The Mechawka, however, seems to have been tuned tonic - fifth - tonic. The triad tuning of the Moldanky corresponds with another extinct german bagpipe called "Dreibrümmchen" of which I know nothing except that it has been reconstructed by Horst Grimm of Nürnberg, possibly the same instrument.
The only difference Praetorius describes between Hümmelchen and Dudey is the number of drones (two for the Hümmelchen, three for Dudey) and the tuning (C for Hümmelchen, Eb for Dudey). Indeed, most of today's instrument makers call a Hümmelchen with three drones a Dudey. It should not be forgotten, however, that today's reconstruction does not correspond with Praetorius' description: while he gives a range from b (as leading note) to c' which is very common for a west-european bagpipe, the "normal" reconstruction has a range from c to d', employing recorder fingering. It is not, BTW, a small Schäferpfeife, the Schäferpfeife having a tapered-bore chanter, today's reconstruction usually employing french cornemuse-fingering. For the Dudey, Praetorius gives a range from eb to d' which leads me to think this instrument probably had only six fingerholes and no thumbhole. Also (but this is admittedly my speculation) from the name "Dudey" I tend to derive a slavic origin of the instrument which might mean a single reed in the chanter, as is the case with the Mechawka and Moldanky.
The slovakian pipemaker who makes these instruments (excellent workmanship, very beautiful, and at a very reasonable price) is Juraj Dufek (www.gajdy.bagpipes.sk), the Pastor has one of his instruments. Juro actually names it "Mulitanky".
In our german bagpipe forum you mentioned, we have a member of the Schleife Folk Ensemble, I will ask her if she can provide more information.
May you never lose your humm-our,
Michael "Dude-y" Loos
(sorry, I couldn't resist...)

[sean an piobaire]

THANK YOU MICHAEL LOOS !!!!!
(and regards to your sister,(ROOS see below) who is a friend of mine, on My Space Music !)
While you were answering my 1st post here, I was looking up Mr. Juraj Dufek
of Bojnice, Slovakia.
His page on his "Mulitanky" (and I sure hope this works !) is:

http://www.bagpipes.sk/historical-bagpi ... itanky.php

Oh, I can see from the preview, that the script on this site won't print
any URLs with dashes in the address.....suffice it to say it's a good
page with two J-peg Photos and a sound sample, in addition to the text.
It looks like the scale of the chanter is not a complete Octave,
perhaps Si, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La . The Sorb "Mechawka" or "Moldanky"
Chanter in Mr. Rezny's Book, has 6 holes in front, with a back Thumb Hole.
The total length of the Chanter is 149mm with a Bore of 5.5mm .
It looks like this could have a scale of Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La ?
I do know enough German to know what "Drei-Brumm-chen" means !!!!
( 3 little Fahrts ) Too Much Fun, I'm having.......
As for your contact with Schleife Ensemble...Yes, she is the Beautiful Redheaded
Woman "Ortrune" who has her own My Space Music page, and a 59 second Video
of her playing her Sorb Kozol in Eb. Marvellous !!!
Thanks for Your quick reply ! Humming-Humming.............
Sean Folsom

[MichaelLoos]

and regards to your sister

???

[sean an piobaire]

Michael !!!!!
SORRY, SORRY, SO SORRY !!! She isn't Your Sister !!!!!!!
Her name is ROOS and she lives in Ypres, and HER brother plays a Bagpipe.
As it's 3:57 in the Morning here in California, I just crossed the Wires in my Brain.....
"Loos for Roos" If you really care to look all this up,
go to My Space Music, type in "Sean The Piper" in the search field then look at my list of Friends.
Roos has an icon of a Vielle a Roue...... click on that and read her "Statistics" she's 59 years old
like me-self and I don't know what she looks like as Roos is too modest !
I'm going to go to sleep now so I won't make anymore mistakes and offend anybody
through my careless thoughts.
Please forgive me !!!
Sean

[MichaelLoos]

I don't know what she looks like as Roos is too modest !

For her own sake, I hope she doesn't look in any way like me....

[Ortrune]

Hi there !

I just readed, that somebody is talking about me.
I think the following link may be interessting for you: http://www.sorbisches-folkloreensemble-schleife.de/ You mentioned somethink like this in your first thread above.

Until now i never dealed with Bagpipe English and the last time i spoke english was some time ago,so i may need a little bit to come in again I hope you understand me nevertheless.

So, what was actually you question ??

[sean an piobaire]

Guten Tag, Fraulein Ortrune !!!
Danke Danke for the working URL you gave here, for your Ensemble Schleife !
My questions are:
1. Are there any Mechawka Makers and/or Mechawka Pipers in the Sorb community ?
2. Is there any Music for the Mechawka (Drucken oder Handschrift) ?
3. What was the Scale of the Chanter, and the Tuning of the Drones ?
4. If the Sorb Pipers and Pipe Makers have not revived this Instrument,
Why Not (Varoom nicht) ?
I think it could be easy to do, as the plans for one of these Pipes can be
found in Josef Rezny's Book,
"Der Sorbische Dudelsack" Bautzen (1993 + 1997)
which you are familiar with, I'm sure.
Thank You for Your Time and Trouble, Ortrune, and
WELCOME to the Chiff and Fipple "Non-Uilleann-Pipe" Forum !!!
Sean Folsom

[MichaelLoos]

Hallo Ortrune, schön, Dich hier zu treffen!
Sean,
I've just had a look at Rezny's book again, and, as I understand it, the Mechawka had already been near extinction at Heinze's time (1799), being exclusively used for table music at weddings (p.66), and probably has vanished completely only a few years later, with no specimen surviving.
AFAIK (possibly Ortrune might know better), there is only one Sorb pipemaker, Karl Tillich from Hoyerswerda, who learned most of his pipemaking art in Poland, as he told me a couple of years ago. He has always been making on a part-time basis, turning out one instrument per year at the most. Since he is not a young man, he is taking things slower lately.
Pavel Cíp has made a few sorb bagpipes of all three types but he doesn't offer them in his catalogue. These can however be seen in the Sorb museum in Bautzen.
I have just seen that Jens Güntzel now offers a sorb Mechawa, obviously planning to offer all three types of sorb bagpipes in the future (www.dudelsackwerkstatt.de). Jens lives in the sorb area of Saxony, although not being ethnic Sorb himself, and had been planning on making these instruments for a good while but other projects have put him in delay.
I'm afraid there is not a sheer abundance of Sorb bagpipe players, I believe there are less than twenty altogether, and possibly not all of them actively playing (hopefully Ortrune wil correct me and say there are hundreds, happily piping away...). I am not at all familiar with the sorb tradition and culture but normally, in relatively small communities, one of the main problems is arousing an interest among young people (who wants to play the little squeaker when the big hairy blaster is available?), otherwise the tradition will become over-aged and get a sort of museal character (next to which will follow extinction with the passing away of the older generation), and certainly, the preserving of the still-alive tradition is of bigger importance than the revival of an instrument that has been dead for 200 years... I'm afraid we have to accept the Mechawka has gone the way of the dodo and the dinosaur, and if a revival takes place, it may not be within the Sorb community (actually, looking at the plans, I might make one for myself...if I find the time...).
In these plans, Rezny gives a diatonic scale in A major for the chanter, and drone tuning e, a, e'. These are actually taken from a bohemian moldanky (the Sobeslav instrument) but "can serve for reconstructing the sorb Mechawka" (p.116).
As for the music, I'll leave you to Ortrune's knowledge because I know nothing at all...

[sean an piobaire]

Thank You Again Michael !!!
You have answered my questions Whole or in Part, and you are very kind to translate out of those
parts of Josef Rezny's book (I don't have a copy, only my friend Oliver Seeler, has this book),
the sentences which mention the history and usage (at the Wedding Table) of the Sorb "Mechawka" Small Pipes.

As to the surviving Sorb Pipes being in two different Keys Eb "Kozol" and F "Mechawa", it reminds me of the
Wielkopolska tradition in "Spungen", of the Black Haired Goat "Dudy Slubny" played GOING TO THE WEDDING,
in the key of F major, and the White Haired Goat "Dudy Weselny" in Eb, that is played, only
AT THE WEDDING CEREMONY. It would be interesting if there is a similar Wedding Tradition for the Sorb Pipes ?
We have various Pipers here in the USA, that own these kinds of Polish Pipes, and I have worked on a Dudy
Slubny myself, to get it going for a Lady Piper, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Blanche Kerbechek.

I'm going to hold off anymore commentary until Miss Ortrune writes her own text here on C&F,
except to say that the Low Numbers of Sorb Pipers are in line with many of the Polish Piping Traditions,
in their different localities.
I am given to understand that the Wielkopolska tradition has some 300+ Pipers at the present time.
The Gorale/ Zakopane tradition has had the least number of Pipers, which (until recently) was down to 10
Pipers 2 of which are/were also Pipe Makers.
Thank You So Much, Michael !!!!
Sean

[nemethmik]

and certainly, the preserving of the still-alive tradition is of bigger importance than the revival of an instrument that has been dead for 200 years

Mick, I like this very much! The piping community should learn from living masters of piperes where available, instead of forming "Neo-pseudo-mediaeval-punk" bands.
Let me think: hmm, I've never seen really good pipers in any of these kinds of bands.
Miki

[Ortrune]

1. I also only know Karl Tillich, who makes the pipes for our ensemble.
2. I think there is, but I havnt seen it until know. I know one of our pipers played the Mechawa last year on an "sorb wedding". It was no real wedding, but reacted by the socalled "Sorbischer Hochzeitszug", a "sorb wedding procession". It a association for reacting a sorb wedding, the clothes, traditions aso. So I guess there must be some sheets The mechaw was made last yaer by Karl Tillich, but i doesnt works well, I never played it myself, so dont know want the problem is, wrong pressur from the player or if the Rohrblatt / Stimme (i dont know what it is in english) is not correct or if its very sensible. I dont know, nobody knows. You see, its a little bit a great secret We are as Mick sayed not many pepole, and those people who are able to handle with questions like this are very busy with other thinks. So I would like to lern to make Rohrblätter or make a Kozol or Mechawa and so on, but in the moment its not possbile. Here nobody is an "bagpipe player" or somethink, the most are old people the others are not interessed in, they are inly playing and not thinking about the instrument.
3. Puh, ... I dont know. I guess it could be like the Kozol? But i will ask it toworrow, i will meet then the Mechawa plaer. I hope i dont forget to ask...
4. So as I told you above the Mechawa is revived. Actually they are saying, in the sob music has been no revival. The were always some people who played the sorb music.

Maybe I can make some ad, from 18.06.2010 to 20.06.2010 will be here in Schleife a bagpipe fetival with bagpipers from the whole world. Its planned, that it alternates with the Strakonice (?) festival, which is every 2 years, so our festivel should be the other every 2 years. Actually it should be in 2008, but it has been canceld, because there wasnt enough money.
In the end of March this year we are playing in Linz.

[MichaelLoos]

"Rohrblätter" are reeds.

[Celtpastor]

@Ortrune: Don't twist Mechawa and Mechawka! Schoen, dass Du hier bist - kommst Du auch nach Balingen?
@Mick: Thx, CU tomorrow!
Just a few points to mention:
1. AfaIk, there is no technical difference between the Mechawka, the Bohemian Moldanky, the Slowak Mulitanky (there's quite a discussion which of the last two names was original!) and the German Dreibruemmchen. Also, it seems not very probable, that until very recent reconstructions (brought up by Pavel Cip), these were mostly or even at all bellows-blown!
2. AfaIk, there also is no technical difference between Polish and Sorbish Kozol - except for the point, that modern Sorbish Kozol are played with open fingering (historically, they seem to have been closed-fingered as well!). Same seems to be true for the Mechawa.

[Ortrune]

Sorry, I really twisted Mechawa and Mechawka in my hole answer.
Actually I never heard of Mechawka until now. I will ask about this Bagpipe today too.

Balingen: Nicht dass ich wüßte. Wann ist da was?

Because of Fingering: Yes, we play it open and afaik our polnish guest or when we were in Poland, they played it closed.