The ''veuze'' is a
Breton 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 ...
found traditionally in southeastern Brittany and in the northern part of the Vendée, particularly around
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
, the
Guérande peninsula, and
Basse-Vilaine. The veuze has been mentioned in writing dating to the 16th century, and is thought to be the oldest of the Breton bagpipes. The veuze is thought to be the antecedent of the
biniou.
The ''
Association Sonneurs de Veuzes'' () was formed in
Nantes
Nantes (, ; ; or ; ) is a city in the Loire-Atlantique department of France on the Loire, from the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast. The city is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, sixth largest in France, with a pop ...
in 1976.
Construction
The ''veuze'' consists of a bag (''poche''), blowpipe (''sutell''), a double-reeded chanter (''levriad''), and a single-reeded
drone or drones (''bourdon''). The levriad is generally pitched in A or G
, but can also be found in D, B and C
.
References
External links
Association of Veuze Players
Bagpipes
Breton musical instruments
Celtic musical instruments
{{Bagpipes-stub