The muchosa is a type of

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, No ...

dating back to the late 13th century in Hainaut,

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where it is known as the

pipasso The pipasso is a type of bagpipe found in northern France and Belgium. It is commonly called the "Picardy bagpipe". In the Belgian province of Hainaut, it is also known as the muchosa. History The pipasso was traditionally played by shepherds i ...

. The muchosa has a chanter with a

conical bore In music, the bore of a wind instrument (including woodwind and brass) is its interior chamber. This defines a flow path through which air travels, which is set into vibration to produce sounds. The shape of the bore has a strong influence on ...

and

double reed A double reed is a type of reed used to produce sound in various wind instruments. In contrast with a single reed instrument, where the instrument is played by channeling air against one piece of cane which vibrates against the mouthpiece and ...

, pitched to B-flat. It has two single-reed drones. The treble drone is placed in a common stock with the chanter, and the bass drone is placed further back in its own stock, a feature common to other the musette style of bagpipe in central and northern France.

Notable players

* Rémy Dubois * Olle Geris * Jean-Pierre Van Hees, Professor baroque musette & bagpipe at LUCA Muziek - Campus Lemmens * Denis Laoureux * Peter De Baets * Bernard Vanderheyden * Rémi Decker * Jean Cayron * Pol Ranson Additionally to individual players, collectives of muchosa players such as La Confrèrie des Muchards de Saint-Druon, Amuséon, and Chés Pipasso Grinche Binde aim to promote this traditional instrument and make it sound again in various popular festive settings. The Pipasso International Festival (born in 2007 in Liomer) takes place on the last week-end of September every year at the Esplanade and Socio-Cultural Center du Chiffon Rouge in Flixecourt (Picardy, France).

References

{{reflist

External links

Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisation
Belgian musical instruments Bagpipes