ON THE PLAYING STYLE AND REPERTORY OF POLISH BAGPIPE PLAYERS

The earliest sources of history of bagpipes in Poland mention mainly the circumstances under which they were played. Iconographic sources confirm the presence of the instrument in Poland from at least the first half of the 14th century. Two centuries later, chronicles mention bagpipe players in cappellas employed at the courts of kings and nobles, sometimes also in city and military bands. From such sources as tax censuses and literature of the period it is known that bagpipe players provided dance music during weddings and parties at city and country inns, accompanied religious processions and welcoming celebrations. Traces of information about the repertory of Polish bagpipe players during the first Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuania are found in extant compositions, as reminiscences of bagpipe melodies, mostly in works associated with pastoral themes. Particularly in the 17th and the first decades of the 18th centuries Polish bagpipe music was fashionable. Among those who appreciated it were Ph. Telemann and J. S. Bach. The nature, repertory, performances styles, and place of bagpipe music in later epochs are also described, taking into account changes in the contemporary folklore practice.