The World of Bagpipes : France

Chabrette

Chabrette Limousine, Chabrette Perigordine & Chevre.

Above : Chevre

Above : Chabrette Perigordine

Reference to the Chabrette first appears in the early part of the sixteenth century at the same time as the Cornemuse de Poitou to which it bears considerable resemblance. This early form being what is now known as the "Chevre", the Grande Cornemuse of the Limousine, the higher pitched and exquisitely decorated Chabrette Limousine appearing in the eighteenth century along with a further relation the Chabrette Perigordine. 

CHEVRE

This instrument appears to be a cousin of the Cornemuse de Poitou the chanter having a wide, flaring bell, a key for the lowest note protected by a perforated barrel (fontanelle) and a bass drone with a triple bored first section. It has however two extra drones, one lying beside the chanter and sounding the six finger key note and the other incorporated into the lower section of the bass drone and sounding an octave below the chanter's fifth, the usual pitch of the chanter being from d¹ or e¹. The instrument can also be supplied with two further drones also incorporated into the bass drone lower section making it virtually a common stock pipe, these drones being a tenor pitched one octave below the chanters keynote and a low fifth two octaves below the fifth of the chanter. The tuning slides on the drones that sound the fifth are long enough for tuning also to the fourth allowing for tunes that work on the three finger keynote and can be either mouth or bellows blown.

CHABRETTE LIMOUSINE

The cornemuse of the Limousine having several points in common with the Cornemuse de Poitou, these being a separate wide flaring detachable bell, a key for the lowest note covered with a protective barrel or fontanelle and a bass drone with a thrice bored lower joint. It is usual for the instrument to be highly decorative with mountings of bone and different colours of horn inlaid with pewter often with little of the wooden body showing and occasionally it can be virtually totally mounted in bone with ornamental turnings or in solid ivory with only the main part of the chanter showing as wood. The chanter/tenor drone stock (Tete or Empeigne) is usually decorated with mirrors set in pewter making it a highly visual instrument with a loud bright tone. The most common configuration is of chanter with parallel tenor drone with a bass drone that lies across the chest and is mouth blown. An example in the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments in the USA has a further drone at the rear of the chanter stock similar to the Musette Bechonnet sounding in unison with the six finger keynote of the chanter and greatly adds to the harmonic content of the pipes. This is now a standard feature on my pipes and can be supplied either as a part on the stock controlled by a layette or as a separate two section drone. The drone sections are joined by chains so that the highly decorated sliding sections cannot accidentally fall the ground and be damaged. The Chabrette Limousine is usually mouth blown and is available in pitches from c¹¹ down to g¹ (six finger keynote) - for lower pitches see the section on the Chevre, the Grande Cornemuse of the Limousine.

CHABRETTE PERIGORDINE (Cornemuse du Perigord)

A small bagpipe from the Perigord Noir region having a Chanter with parallel tenor drone held in the usual flat stock with a separate tenor drone in place of the bass drone which lies across the chest. The tenor drones are tuned to an octave below the keynote of the chanter which is the six finger note normally c¹¹ or d¹¹. The two tenor drones add to the harmonic content and it blends nicely with other instruments as well as being a solo instrument in it's own right. The instruments that I make can be ordered in the above pitches with the separate tenor drone capable of being reset to sound the fourth or fifth below the keynote. In common with the Chabrette Limousine it is highly decorated. The small size of the instrument in the higher pitches means that it would be possible beginners pipe for a child that wants to play a bagpipe.

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