Greetings -
Got a call today from someone in the Boston area who has a Musette de Coeur but doesn’t know how to play it (and isn’t sure it’s set up properly to play). Anyone out there able to provide some information or have contact info for someone who might be able to help. Ideally in the Boston/New England area but given how uncommon the instrument is, I realize that may be a stretch…
Thanks and best wishes.
Steve Bliven
Well, (lucky piper , first of all…)
if they have some French and access to a good music library,
here are the classic period texts (with exercises and some repertoire)
*DeScellery, C.E.B.; Traite de la Musette, (1672). (Bologna, 1983) MT 530 B67 1983
*Hotteterre, J, Methode pour la Musette, (Minkoff, 1977) MT 530 H78 1977
*Hotteterre, J, Pieces pour la Muzette, (Minkoff, 1993) M 270 M8 H6 1993
there’s a bunch of early music specialists in the area, even ‘early-music bagpipers’…especially connected with Harvard: I would head in that direction, PDQ…
have they been to Naoki Ueo’s website?? :
http://homepage.mac.com/muzette/Eng.File/main_eng/01general.html
chock full of good info.
fingering charts, & everything
.
For many years, My experience with
Playing and Reeding Up Musettes, was limited to
Reeding up my own 1987 John Addison (RIP) Musette,
in the key of D @ A=440 hertz.
I purchased this instrument to play DUETS,
with Bryan Tolley who was then, an
Engineer for Hughes Aircraft Corp.
Bryan Tolley had been a participant in the Early
Music scene in his “native” England (circa 1970-74).
Bryan was also a friend of John Addison
(also part of the scene),
and he got his Musette from John in 1984.
Tolley came by my house in Oakland, not long
after he got this instrument, and told me where
it came from, who made it, and the PRICE…
which was $600 USD.
(Pretty cheap, for such a “Snob-Appeal” item huh?)
Bryan had chosen the key of D, as
a way of playing Duets with the Vielle a Roue
(Hurdy Gurdy) in the “D” (Bourbonais) tuning.
I had reviewed alot of the literature that ChasR
lists…(reams of photocopied Music that Bryan ran-off
on BIG…INDUSTRIAL… Copy machines, at Hughes).
I had bought the D Musette to play with Bryan, but
much to my Chagrin, I only had one session,
playing duets with Bryan, when he visited me,
during a Vacation of his, in 1988.
At some point, I found out that J. Addison had extrapolated
Musettes… down to lower Pitches, than were Historically
Accurate (Musettes in the keys of low D and C).
IN ADDITION, I found out that Modern Baroque
Musicians tune their various instruments to A=415 hz.
On a Musette, this would make the Thumb and 6 finger “G”
an F SHARP !!! So my D Musette was USELESS.
Now…SOME actual examples of HISTORICAL Musettes,
range in pitch from 415hz to 400hz. to 392hz. (“F”).
Only one example that survived, a large Musette,
was made in the pitch of Modern “E”
(somebody must of had large hands).
Casey Burns measured some really TINY Musettes
that were HIGHER than A=415 (for Children ?).
In 1991, I started Reeding up a friend’s Addison
Musette in 415hz, with some early failures, and then,
in 2000, one complete success. This slow learning curve
came about, because I couldn’t LIVE with the instrument,
as I didn’t OWN this particular Musette.
The Reeds are very delicate, AND needless to say,
the WEATHER is a big factor, with making these Pipes work.
There were REASONS… WHY they disappeared after 1745,
but mostly because the later “LEW-WEE’s” DIDN’T LIKE the
Musette, a notable exception, was Marie-Antoinette, who
was expected to be slightly “Rustique”, as she came to
the French court from Poland).
I sold my “D” Musette in 2001, and I have been researching
options, with various Pipe Makers, to get an A=415 made here,
in California. I have my own drawings of A=415 Reeds, that
worked in the Addison Musette… "P.M’ me for details.
Maintenant, etait tres nessasaire pour partir, a bientot,
MES AMIS ! “Jean le Maitre-Sonneur” (AKA… Sean Folsom)
Jean le-maitre sonneur; did that addison have a petit chalameau?
and will you ever be heading east-wards again???
Je retour pour une mot… au-dessus… les autre paroles.
Sorry Marie-Antoinette was not of Polish ancestry…
(I was thinking of Napoleon’s JOSEPHINE).
Marie Antoinette was the 15th child of “Holy Roman” Emperor
Francois Stephen, of Lorraine… plus other titles…
(founder of the [combined]
Royal House of Habsburg-Lorraine),
AND Maria Theresa of Austria, WHO,
if WIKI-pedia is to be believed,
wore the PANTS in the marriage.
Marie “A.” and her other siblings, were sequestered,
AWAY from court, and played with the children of COMMONERS
(now…who would’ve suspected that ?).
When she became the wife of Louis the 16th, she occupied her private
house on the grounds of Versailles, called the “Petit Trianon”
(you can look up the Greek word “Trianon” yourself ).
Now, I think this is in ADDITION to Marie’s Sheppard’s Cottage,
where (supposedly) she would pretend
to be a simple Shepherdess.
Spending many happy hours pumping “Le Soufle” (Bellows)
and squeezing…“Le Sac” (Bag) of her Musette de Cour,
whilst her perfumed Sheep… with Gilded Horns,
gambled about, to her Musical… STRAINS !
Can some erudite person out in Cyber-Space,
add SOMETHING… to these, my STATE-MENTS ?
Sean “Forgetful” Folsom
P.S. for Charles Le Rutan…
Yep I had BOTH… Le Petite, et Le Grand
Chalumeau…I DID alter the lowest note on the Petite,
to a nominal G, instead of a G sharp (A flat),
as it didn’t sound good against the Drones and the Big Chanter
(which continues to sound, unless stopped on a Knee).
Having the Back A as an Ab key operated with the Thumb,
just above the Thumb Hole, is a much BETTER sounding solution
to the Problem. Then, the highest key on the Grand Chanter is
a nominal A, where as, if both high A keys are opened, it
yields a high (nominal) B FLAT.
Since you also have a Bb key on the
Petite Chanter, that’s not so much of a (missing) Bb problem.
Believe me, plenty of the pieces use A and B FLATS as the
modes change back and forth between G major and G minor,
D major, and D minor, and so on…
EAST-WARDS ? No invites, and No Pay either, so “Jamais”
to that. S.F.
http://www.easternstate.org/events/bastille.php#@main
I can, however, say with some confidence that the sound a twinkie thats been sitting on a 3 story rooftop in the sun all day makes when it hits the ground from such a height , is ‘SPLUT’.
Το λεξικό δεν βρήκε καμία λέξη.
BRAVO YOU ERUD_DITE GENTLEMEN !
My Call was answered, and then some..Eo Hellas !
Yassue hoopa, apopsis, cannis “Boom”!!!
“Bastille Day” in Penn’s Sylvania…
is interesting, after all the Hoo-Haw in past years,
about “Freedom Fries” !
If it wasn’t for the French participation in our Revolution
(especially the French Fleet off the coast, for that surrender at Yorktown),
it would have been a lot harder to become…
INDEPENDENT !
It was also that alliance that brought on the French Revolution,
after which, the Nobility didn’t need their Musettes,
because they didn’t have their heads any more !
Thusly, the Musette went completely “Out Of Fashion”.
Heading for my Trianon/Gazebo, am I,
Sean Folsom
REVIEW: “ Ensemble ‘Le Berger Fortune’” on Hungaroton’s ‘Hurdy-Gurdy’ series.
There is no instrument which transports me as instantly and completely to realms of Baroque splendor than the Musette. One can bask in the florid glories of Vivaldi and Telemann, or the awesome profundity of Sebastian Bach; yet it is only the Musette through which seeps sunbeams parting thick curtains revealing a room of unimaginable luxury; it is only the Musette which will surround you with the green, plush, velvet regency of a Versailles garden party in the dusk of a summer’s evening.
I’ve longed to hear these releases: Hungaroton’s HCD 32102, 32201, & 32334, with Jean-Christophe Malliard on Musette, Robert Mandel on Hurdy-Gurdy, Pal Nemeth on Baroque Flute. Under the name “Ensemble le Berger Fortune”, they are backed by pickup groups of Hungarian Baroque specialists, joining them variously on Baroque violins, Viola Da Gamba, Recorders, Cembalo, and Theorbe. Of the many adjectives available to describe these recordings, ‘labored’ and ‘overworked’ simply don’t apply. All the musicians exhibit a playful mastery of the idiom through carefully crafted interpretations which never lose freshness.
To be precise, the baroque ‘Musette Royale’ or ‘Musette de Court’ is the little bagpipe of 17th & 18th century France. (I’ll call it simply the ‘Musette’ here, for clarity’s sake). The Musette has been graced with repertoire by Rameau, Chedeville, Campra, Boismortier, all some of the greatest composers in France at that time. In the Hungaroton CD’s we hear works of Jean + Jacques Hotteterre, Corrette, and DeLaVinge; which consist mainly of multimovement suites, often with evocative, pastoral titles The earliest extant publications of printed music specifically for the bagpipe (any bagpipe) are those containing music for the musette. Sadly, the Musette’s considerable repertoire remains largely unheard today.
Without delving too deeply into technical details, the Musette is a small, bellows-blown bagpipe (as opposed to being inflated by mouth) somewhat in danger of being overpowered by a string quartett. Its drone system is modeled on an instrument called the Rackett, whose bore doubles over and over again in order to shorten the drone’s total length. In addition to having a completely chromatic chanter (through use of keys like the flute or oboe), there is a secondary chanter, extending the range into two octaves, which sounds only when a note’s particular key is pressed open (like the pipe organ). Capable of droning in many tonalities, the Musette is able to play what violinists call ‘double stops’, allowing as full a usage of tonal resources as any bagpipe has ever known.
Maillard’s performances on Musette are free and easy. By drawing on his dual training in classical Flute & Breton piping, he simultaneously imparts to the Musette both the Flute’s characteristic transparency and the Pipe’s pungent earthiness. The Musette’s role in the texture is always melodic; yet it’s interplay is conversational, never slipping into the ‘melody + accompaniment’ trap, as pipes are wont to do when involved in mixed groups. With the Hungaroton series, Maillard forges himself a link with the foremost exponents of the French woodwind school: possibly he is the first to do so on the Musette in over 200 years.
Even if you’re unfamiliar with Baroque, these CD’s present no obstacles for entry into the genre.
Bagpipers of all ilks can connect with the Musette’s moment of glory, when pipes were a welcome and regular participant in the mainstream of composed western art-music.
But for the initiated, its like finding a lost chapter to a much loved book you’ve read far too often. [/u]
OUI, OUI, YES,YES “J.-C.-M.” IS the one man Musette Revival !!!
I met him for the first time in L.A. during the 200th anniversary
of the French Revolution…on July 14th, 1989.
The French consulate had flown Him and half of Lo Jai
(including Eric Montbel) out to L.A. where they did a Concert
at Schonberg Hall, the main venue for the Music Dept. at U.C.L.A.
J.C. had been awake for over 24 hours, as they had just played
the “Grand Fete a Paris” J.C. had a modest Baroque “get-up” on,
with a Tri-cornered Hat. Which made him look even taller than
his normal stature of 6 foot 4 inches,
( J.C. is one of the tallest Frenchmen, I had ever seen).
He started out with the standard modern Flute, then the Baroque
Flute, and then the Breton Biniou and Bombarde.
(He also owns an Asturian Gaita).
There was an antique Musette at the Conservatoire in Paris,
that got him interested in the idea of playing the Musette,
(circa the mid- 1970s).
I have to interject the fact that Early Music maven and Recorder player Shelly Gruskin
ALSO became interested in playing the Musette,
at about the same time, but Mr. Gruskin
never “made-a-fist” of playing this instrument,
to the degree accomplished by Jean-Christolph.
J.C. returned to California again later that Summer of '89, with his wife,
and attended the “Lark in the Morning” music camp at Mendocino,
near my home (I was living in Ft. Bragg, Ca. at the time).
So I got to attend some of his sessions with a woman Harpsichord
Player (whose name I can’t recall). J.C. and I discussed many
topics, including his recommendation that I sell my Musette and get one
from Remy De Bois, in Belgium. J.C.'s instrument was made by Remy,
and was very plain, made from African Black Wood and IN TUNE on
“A 415”. Well, I never got around to ordering a new Musette…
“je regrette”… “He” !
We did talk about Mikey Zekley’s all Ivory Musette that Mickey had got, through one of the Auction Houses in New York,
(perhaps Sothby’s 1972 auction of historic Lutes & etc. with a Musette for $1,500 USD, listed as the starting price, in the Catalog).
J.C. remarked that this was a Musette made very late, at the tail-end
of the Musette era…circa 1745
(the “apogee” was 1675, during the time of Louis the 14th, “Roi de Soleil”).
This is the SAME historic instrument that was copied by Bob Thomas
(and a German maker made the silver keys for it ),back in 1977.
Later this" repro" was sold by Mickey to someone on the East Coast.
Then, this all Ivory reproduction was sold to Alan Jones at North Hero,
in 1994…
(“The Black Hole from which no Bagpipes… re-a-merge”…
Please see the new Musette “thread” on Bob Dunsire’s (RIP) site).
I KNOW about all this because I was THERE, at North Hero,
and I wanted to sell MY Musette and the only buyer to come forward,
was Alan. I had just promised Colin Ross and Ray Fisher
that I would not sell my Pipe to Alan, as he was between engineering jobs,
and didn’t have that kind of money to spend.
Alan just turned around and bought the OTHER Musette “For Sale” !
I have to say, now, in print, that Alan makes ME look Normal !!!
This is a fact that I’m very Thankful for !!! Thank You, ALAN JONES !!!
Well, I also forgot to add that Jean C. Mailliard came by North Hero,
one other time, when I was there, in 1993.
We played my Biniou and Bombarde together, during the day,
later that night, on the stage, J.C. gave out that Amazing Musette Sound,
and that Wonderful Solo Music, that is possible, with the Petit Chalumeau !
Enfin…J.C. is insulted by the comparison of the Musette to the
Northumbrian Small Pipes. He insists that there IS a DIFFERENCE !
BIEN SUR ! VIVE LA DIFFERENCE !
your reporter, Sean Folsom
yeah..Remy DuBois, there’s your man there, last time I spoke to Olle Geris about 4 years ago, the wait was 10 years for one of these and the expense quite considerable. That ended that..
JP Van Hees does very well on MdC revivalism on his own;
Check out those Rameau operas (calling for 2 MdC’s in the score;) JP & JC acquit themselves most admirably as a duo in the pastorale scenes.
So, my final word is directed to pipemakers:
We need more of these things! Get busy you lazy lot 
.
and it’s musette de Cour mind you (as in court opposed to Coeur which sounds nice but means “heart”)
see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musette_de_cour
for details
The Liraman
Yeah, Lira Spellman,
I think Mr. Bliven was going by the sound of “Coeur”,
which IS pronounced the same as “Cour” en Francais.
Meanwhile, I went to the Musette string on the Bob Dunsire site,
and read that it was Edwin George, who was the interim owner of the
all Ivory reproduction Musette by Bob Thomas, now owned
by the “Reed-Out-Able” Alan Jones.
Off subject a bit, is the fact that the Big Sur Basin fire is burning,
slowly, very slowly, toward the fire breaks near my cabin in the Village
at Carmel Valley, California, and to be safe,
I transfered all my Pipes to a storage space in Monterey.
I don’t want the Collection to be burned up,
especially after 38 years of “Getting It Together” !
I do want it to be dispersed to my family,
and PIPERS who will PLAY THEM, after I’m gone.
When that will be I can’t say, give me another 30 years ?
Sean “Smokey” Folsom
thats been in the back of my mind ever since you related that tale…
isnt Ted Anderson in the area also?
stay cool…
[quote=“sean an piobaire”]Yeah, Lira Spellman,
I think Mr. Bliven was going by the sound of “Coeur”,
which IS pronounced the same as “Cour” en Francais.[/quote]
Ahum, sorry for correcting you there once again, sir, Court and Coeur are in no way pronounced the same in French (that’s the point of having them spelled differently s t s…)
Court is [ko:r]
Coeur is [ˌkɔr]
regards
a Liraman: Merci, mon professor ! Vous etre un pedant superieux,
vraiment, Coeur et Cour, pas d’meme !
a Rutan le Grand: Ted’ s place is not near the forrest fires,
but he is physically near to the Big Sur fire now, as he is
a visitor here, in the Valley, since yesterday.
Smokey
well tell him I said HI and my friend in NJ has a zamp even bigger than his sei palmi (mio amico plays an otto palmi)
Actually Mr. Bliven’s high school French, from what is now several decades ago, simply deserted that part of his alleged brain that controls his keyboarding fingers. And his pronunciation was never any good to begin with. He appreciates that folks were able to get the gist of the original question despite his linguistic failings. 
Best wishes.
Steve Bliven
I have some peculiar drawings of a MdC. Is there any other info about making them anywhere? The ones I have show a flat diagram of the drone with NINE boreholes, along with the grand and petit chalameau. More keywork than a prison officers keyring. I have toyed with the idea of making some of these but it would be a pretty complex undertaking unless armed with more data.
Cheers
Bob
Dear Bob Lee,
Yes, I have seen one set of plans that Brad Angus has
at his shop (and domicile) in Vancouver, Washington.
I don’t know their origin,
and IF they are accurate enough,
to result in something useful.
My suggestion would be to “Hie” yourself
off to Morpeth, and measure up the
“Lisseau de Lyon” Musette de Cour,
that they have at the Chantry Bagpipe Museum.
Further, there’s “M. de C.” at the Pitt Rivers Museum,
Oxford, and I think the V&A
(or maybe it’s at the Horniman Museum ?)
in London, has yet another example.
It’s best for you to do your own measurements,
as the Musette is so small, the “tolerances” are also
“fractional”.
I found this to be true with the staples
for my John Addisson instrument.
Hobby Shop tubing in 1/32" increments would not
work for the Reeds, so I had to use the original staples,
and tie on new Reed-heads. Later still, I rolled my own staples.
Good Luck with your Musette adventure !
Sean Folsom