Pipe and tabor is a pair of instruments played by a single player, consisting of a three-hole pipe played with one hand, and a small drum played with the other. The tabor hangs on the performer's left arm or around the neck, leaving the hands free to beat the drum with a stick in the right hand and play the pipe with thumb and first two fingers of the left hand. The pipe is made out of wood, metal or plastic and consists of a cylindrical tube of narrow bore (1:40 diameter:length ratio) pierced with three holes near one end, two in front and one in back. At the opposite end is a fipple or block, similar to that used in a recorder. Tabor pipes are widespread throughout the globe, found on most continents and in many countries. Each culture has developed a different style of pipe, so a different method of playing and a different range of notes. The smallest of the family is the Picco pipe, while the largest is the fujara. In Europe there are many variations of instrument. The pipe and tabor is depicted in illuminated manuscripts, carvings on ecclesiastical buildings in stone and wood, stained glass windows and early printed books.

Early descriptions

Although there had been flutes in Europe in prehistoric times, in more recent millennia the flute was absent from Europe until its arrival from Asia, by way of "North Africa, Hungary, and Bohemia." It began to be seen in illustration in the 11th century. The pipe and tabor combination is illustrated in a plate in the 13th century work,

Cantigas de Santa Maria The ''Cantigas de Santa Maria'' (, ; "Canticles of Holy Mary") are 420 poems with musical notation, written in the medieval Galician-Portuguese language during the reign of Alfonso X of Castile, Alfonso X of Castile ''El Sabio'' (1221–1284). T ...

. In the 17th century, Mersenne mentions a virtuoso, John Price, who could rise to the twenty-second on the galoubet. Praetorius, author of the 1618 book ''De Organographia'', mentions and illustrates three sizes of the ''Stamentienpfeiff'', the treble 20 in. long, the tenor 26 in. and the bass 30, the last being played by means of a crook about 23 in. long. A specimen of the bass in the museum of the Brussels Conservatory has middle C for its lowest note. File:Cantiga pipe and tabor.jpg, 13th century,

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...

. Plate from the Cantigas de Santa Maria. File:Andrea Mantegna 112.jpg, ''Triumph of Scipio'' from The Introduction of the Cult of Cybele at Rome (

Andrea Mantegna Andrea Mantegna (, ; ; September 13, 1506) was an Italian Renaissance painter, a student of Ancient Rome, Roman archeology, and son-in-law of Jacopo Bellini. Like other artists of the time, Mantegna experimented with Perspective (graphical), pe ...

) File:Bear tabor.png, Whimsical depiction of a

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

playing pipe and tabor, from a

prayer book A prayer book is a book containing prayers and perhaps devotional readings, for private or communal use, or in some cases, outlining the liturgy of religious services. Books containing mainly orders of religious services, or readings for them are ...

of the mid 15th century. File:Praetoriuspipeandtabor.gif, Tabor with soprano and bass pipe as depicted by

Michael Praetorius Michael Praetorius (probably 28 September 1571 – 15 February 1621) was a German composer, organist, and Music theory, music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of ...

File:Fra Angelico - Angel beating a Drum detail from the Linaivoli Triptych 1433 brightened cropped.jpg, 1433, Italy. Angel with pipe and tabor. The pipe is very short, possibly like a flabiol File:Fltaborandpipes1897.png, 19th-century English pipes and tabors We can see medieval representations of pipe and tabor i
sculptures
an
illuminations
from XIII century.

English tradition and comparison with fife and drum

Fife, drum, pipe, and tabor are both combinations of a wind instrument played in its upper register accompanied by a drums. The

fife Fife ( , ; ; ) is a council areas of Scotland, council area and lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area in Scotland. A peninsula, it is bordered by the Firth of Tay to the north, the North Sea to the east, the Firth of Forth to the s ...

, however, is a transverse (side-blown) flute, whereas the pipe is a fipple flute. The fife requires two hands, and thus the drummer must be a separate person. The fife and drum are associated with military marching. The pipe and tabor has a much longer history and is associated with civilian music and Court etiquette. It was used for dancing (for all classes of society), ceremonies and processions, folk customs and street entertainment. Three-hole pipes made from bone and dating to the

early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

have been found in England. There are images of medieval taborers in buildings, for example York Minster, Lincoln and

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

cathedrals, and Tewkesbury Abbey. In the plays of

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's time clowns performed between acts, often dancing to the music of pipe and tabor. The pipe and tabor are also known as ''whittle and dub'' and ''whit and dub'' (also spelled ''dubb'') in some parts of the country. Pipe and tabor playing survived into the 20th century. It was close to extinction in the early part of the century, but a revival of interest occurred and the English pipe and tabor tradition remains alive in morris dancing, early music and all manner of cultural displays. In the 20th century, the makers of Generation pennywhistles introduced an economical English tabor pipe made of metal and with a plastic mouthpiece. The English tabor has changed shape through its history and is now seen in a range of sizes and shapes according to the whim of the player. Traditionally it is played with a snare on the upper face, but today is sometimes played without.

European tradition

Iberian Peninsula and Pyrenees

The pipe and tabor, in various local forms, is popular in the Basque region. The txirula (high pitched flute) and the txistu are the two Basque forms of the three-hole tabor pipes tuned to the

dorian mode The Dorian mode or Doric mode can refer to three very different but interrelated subjects: one of the Ancient Greek music, Ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' (characteristic melodic behaviour, or the scale structure associated with it); one of the mediev ...

. The pipe and tabor (''danbolin'' in Basque, ''flauta tamborileira'' or ''flauta pastoril'' in Portuguese, ''fraita'' in Mirandês - the second official language of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

- ''tamboril'' in Spanish) is often played by groups of players in the Basque country. Aside from its importance in the Basque region, in the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula ( ), also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in south-western Europe. Mostly separated from the rest of the European landmass by the Pyrenees, it includes the territories of peninsular Spain and Continental Portugal, comprisin ...

the pipe and tabor remains an important part of various regional traditions. The ''flauta'' and ''tamboril'' are typically used in the regions of León and Castille (most notably in León and Salamanca), Extremadura and Andalucía. The ''flauta'' or ''gaita'' and the ''tambor'' or ''tamboril'' are played in Huelva in celebrations, ''Cruces de Mayo'', sword dances and ''romerías''; in the music used around ''Romería'' of ''El Rocío'' (Huelva, Andalucía) this same pipe is denominated ''flauta rociera'', ''gaita rociera'' or sometimes ''pito rociero'' (a higher pitched whistle).

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

folklore also features a flute and a drum played together, as seen in the folk music and dances of islands

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

, Formentera and

Majorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

Provence

In Provence a form of tabor pipe called the galoubet is played. Its scale begins a third below that of the English tabor pipe. The galoubet is accompanied on an exceptionally deep tabor known as the tambourin.

American tradition

Latin America

From Spain, the pipe and tabor was carried to the Americas, where it continues to be used in some folk traditions. The Yaqui nation in Arizona and Mexico has its "Tamboristas", and the Tarahumara in the mountains of Chihuahua play a three-hole whistle (there is no back thumb hole) made from Arundo donax Cane. The tambor used with the whistle is a large diameter, double-headed skin drum. However, its wood frame, or shell, is very narrow, perhaps to save on total weight. In the area of the

Andes mountains The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru, the combination of one-handed flute and drum exists as well. The Pinkillu flute and the Tinya drum have been adopted to the tradition. The drum is also played with a panflute, the antara.

United States and Canada

The revival of the English pipe and tabor occurred to some extent throughout the

Anglophone The English-speaking world comprises the 88 countries and territories in which English is an official, administrative, or cultural language. In the early 2000s, between one and two billion people spoke English, making it the largest language ...

world, including the United States and Canada. One of the largest manufacturers of tabor pipes today is the Kelischeck Workshop, in

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, makers of the Susato line of instruments. A similar tradition existed in the United States of playing the panpipes together with a tambourine.

References

External links

Sound file online
''Antiqua''
The Taborer's Society
with instructions for making the pipe from a pennywhistle.
Address to a Society of Morris Dancers, 1914
by Sir Francis Darwin
The pipe and tambor in Alentejo, Portugal

Introductory Method for Tamborilero's Pipe

tamborileros.com

txistulari.com

Flauta rociera
{{Authority control European percussion instruments English musical instruments Welsh musical instruments Cornish musical instruments Early musical instruments Fipple flutes