The World of Bagpipes : France
Cornemuse & Hautbois de Poitiou
Above : Cornemuse & Hautbois de Poitiou
References to the Hautbois and Cornemuse de Poitou first appear at the beginning of the sixteenth century at the same time as those to a similar instrument the Chabrette. It is not until Father Marin Mersenne published his works on the musical instruments of his day "Harmonie Libre" (Latin) and the more familiar "Harmonie Universal" (French) in 1636 that they are described in detail and illustrated.
The Hautbois are a series of windcap shawms with detachable wide flaring bells and three sizes are given, these being Treble (c1/d-d11), Tenor (f/g - g1) and Bass (c/d -d1) the treble being the same as the chanter of the Cornemuse de Poitou. A key is provided for the lowest (leading) note which on the two smaller sizes is protected by a perforated barrel (fontanelle) of bone, ivory or wood with pewter inlay. The Cornemuse is mouth blown and has a single bass drone which has a double reed which lies over the right arm of the piper like the bass drone of the Chabrette and to obtain the low pitch for the length of drone the lower joint has three bores connected in series.
The Band of the Grande Ecurie established in 1543 by Francis 1 for music at the French Court contained a section known as the "Musettes and Hautbois de Poitou" but by the eighteenth century the Baroque oboe had replaced the windcap form. The Cornemuse de Poitou continued in use through to the mid nineteenth century as it is shown in several illustrations by the engraver Paul Gellé (1814 - 1879) a detail from "Chanson Poitevin" (1845). The instrument shown by him is of smaller size than that illustrated by Mersenne and has the Bass Drone hanging vertically downwards. The Cornemuse that I supply has the facility to remove the chanter complete with it's stock (thus protecting the reed) to which can be added a mouth piece to convert to a hautbois - very useful for practising and for learning the fingering.
These instruments are available in the pitches given above plus the additional higher pitches of g1 and a1 (six finger keynote).
See also : "Mersenne / Harmonie Universal"
Above : Hautbois
