Yes! I’ll be speaking about my Baltic bagpipe research at the “Tauli torupill 50”, in Estonia, Riidaja Torupillitalu, on the 16th of October next!
Estonian pipers are celebrating the anniversary of the Taul’s bagpipe – 50 years since the revival of the Estonian bagpipe.
“In 1972, Ants Taul, who runs Torupillitalu (a bagpipe farm) in Riidaja village in Valgamaa, made his first bagpipe. Thanks to Ants’s determination and engineering ingenuity, the rebirth of Estonian bagpipes began with Taul’s bagpipes. This new type of instrument could today be called the “Taul’s bagpipe”, because the Tauli’s, both Ants and his son Andrus, have improved the instrument a lot over the course of half a century, added additional finger holes, introduced new wind bag materials, changed the whimsical reed strings to carbon fiber, improved the instrument construction.”
(…)
“The Bagpipe Day “Taul’s Bagpipe 50” is organised as part of the “Estonian Bagpipe Year” event, which is organised by the bagpipe working group of the Estonian Folklore Council. Supported by the Estonian Cultural Foundation and the Viljandi Cultural Academy of the University of Tartu. The event will be recorded in both photo and video format and will also be archived in the Estonian Folklore Archive of the Estonian Literary Museum.”
by the organiser Lauri Õunapuu • lauri@metsatoll.ee
Bagpipe Day in Riidaja, October 16, 2022. Day plan:
11:00 Official start, joint playing of bagpipes.
11:10 Greetings, opening remarks and welcome speeches, joint playing of bagpipes.
Seminar and presentations:
12:00 Leanne Barbo, about making an archaic Estonian bagpipe type.
12:25 Lauri Õunapuu, about the first and last traditional players of the Estonian bagpipe. Attempts to revive the Estonian bagpipe throughout history.
12:45 Helen Kõmmus, about bagpipes, players and recordings in the Estonian Folklore Archive of the Estonian Literary Museum.
13:05 Coffee break, free discussion.
13:30 Ants Taul, the rebirth of the Estonian bagpipe in 1972.
14:00 Gonçalo Cruz, on the restoration of the archaic Finnish bagpipe type and its relationship with the bagpipes of Estonia and the Baltic countries.
14:30 Ando Kiviberg, Andrus Taul’s “war bagpipes” in the Sakala malev of the Estonian Defence League.
14:55 Sandra Vabarna, about the project “100 bagpipes”.
15:15 Questions-answers, free discussion.
15:35 Joint photo.
15:45 Lunch and free time. Concert:
17:00 Ants Taul’s family ensemble.
17:20 Ensemble Linnutaja.
17:35 Juhan Suits.
17:55 Cätlin Mägi and University of Tartu Viljandi Culture Academy bagpipe students.
18:15 Everyone’s concert (free stage for the present players; Gonçalo Cruz, Leanne Barbo, Lauri Õunapuu, etc.)
Gonçalo Cruz
is a Researcher, Musician, Educator & Maker of Bagpipes & Woodwinds.
He holds a Masters in Architecture, and is currently a Doctoral candidate at the Sibelius Academy - “Forgotten Bagpipes - The redesign of the Säkkipilli in Finland”. His research interests are in the disciplines of Music, Ethnomusicology, Organology, as well as Art & Design, History & Archeology, with a special interest in the subjects of Instrument building, Tuning and Temperament.
As an artist, Gonçalo has been working as a music composer and guest musician on live and recorded performances, and is keen in developing the concept of “Music as Design”