Vuze — Wikipedia

The feuze is a rustic bagpipe still practiced in XIX ^{It is} A century in the Nantes country, notably the country of Guérande and the country of Retz, as well as in the Vendée part of the Breton marsh.

Its extension had to be more important in the previous centuries, especially in the rest of Haute-Bretagne and probably far beyond in the Middle Ages ^{[ first ]} .

The word was written and most often pronounced “Vèze” formerly (or “veze” ^{[ 2 ]} , which can explain its current name phonetically), but it is the “widowed” form that was chosen during the rebirth of the instrument.

She kept characteristics very close to the bagpipes that were used during the Middle Ages. At XIX ^{It is} century we find several testimonies written in Haute-Bretagne mentioning “vèzes”, “vaes”, “pocket-hautbois” or “binious”.

Under these different names, it is difficult to be certain that it is the widowed as it has been able to rediscover it in Loire-Atlantique (Nantes country) and in the Breton marsh. Besides, the informants of these territories used several names to designate the same instrument. You could hear people say that such a bell played biniou, but it was the widowed.

In the ancient Breton dictionaries, the word “biniou” is translated by “vèze”, the two words therefore designated the same instrument until the 18th century: a rustic cornemuse. Divergent developments have led to the appearance of “Biniou Bihan” and “Veuze”. THE biniou bihan (“Little biniou”) is often named biniou kozh (“Old biniou”), but the old biniou was actually closer to the widowed than “Biniou Bihan”. In the absence of an investigation into the subject one can think that it was played in Ille-et-Vilaine until around 1850. Thus, H. Buffet in his book Haute-Bretagne explains that “the Vèze only rings for Tuesday fat in the country of Fougères in 1816”. In the same work, he describes the instrument and explains that the violin gradually replaces him throughout the department. In 1835, Charles de la Thébaudière described a wedding in Pays de Vitré. He quotes an orchestra made up of violins, flute and bagpipe. In 1880, in the glossary of speaking of the country of Dol, we quote the Vèze and it is said that there are still two Vèzes ringers in Bourdas who come to ring at the Fair ^{[ 3 ]} . In this department, no instrument could be found.

For several centuries, a long -blowiness bagpipe was employed everywhere in Brittany. Then, the Biniou appeared in Lower Brittany to play with the bombarde an octave above (we think fine XVIII ^{It is} A century according to iconography), while in Haute-Bretagne, a type of cornemuse was kept with a long-livest lamp: La Veuze. We know today that the Veuze is not the direct ancestor of the biniou, but rather that these two bagpipes have a common ancestor. Indeed, Thierry Bertrand, luthier, musician and specialist in the VEUZE, tried to make a Kozh biniou by transposing the PERCES and other morphological characteristics of the old widows and he concluded that the biniou was not a modified veuze. Even if they have common points.

The widow goes between the two wars. Its last territories were the Guérande country and the Brière, the Breton-Vendée marsh, part of the Nantes country and to a lesser extent the countries of Basse-Vilaine ^{[ 4 ]} . Jean Villebrun finds some old widows that will serve as an example at the Luthier Dorig Le Voyer to make the first modern widows. This research will give rise in 1976 to the creation of the association “SONNERS DE VEUZE” in Nantes, the main source of knowledge and research on the subject. Thierry Bertrand, followed by some other luthiers, will take up the torch of the invoice of this instrument which remains rare.

The VEUZE (above) is distinguished from the Biniou Kozh (below), also played in Brittany, by its largest size.

It consists of a bag in which a selling car holder comes to, a foot of about 35 cm (with double reed) and a unique bumblebee (simple reed).

The musician, called veuzou , breathe the air through the portevent Equipped with a valve (formerly in leather, it is often replaced today by a plastic valve) preventing the return of the air, then directed towards the only two possible exits: the Bourdon and the Chalume.

The reeds of the Bourdon and the Chalumeau vibrate in the passage of the air, producing the sound. The reed is double for the torch, that is to say made up of two reed strips mounted on a tube of conical brass, and simple for the bumblebee (a single strip, in reed or plastic, mounted on a frame ). The leather pocket is used as a reserve of air: the time to resume its breathing, it is compressed with its arm in order to keep a constant pressure in the torch and bumblebee. 10 old torches were found, 10 others were identified in photos. The tonic is located between SI4 and SIB4. Bourdons are in principle composed of two sections (or articles) for the tenor bumblebee or three sections for the low bourdon of cylindrical pierce. The upper article is finished with a “pear” acting as a resonance fund.

Developments [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Nowadays the widow has not changed and the principles remain the same, with different significant developments:

• We offer all types of tones (generally in the, in floor, in do or in SIB) for bumblebees, whether low or tenor and similarly, several tones are possible for the torch (generally the/re, zone of the Breton marshes, or floor/do, Breton zone);
• The pocket – in the vast majority of cases – are now waterproof without lubrication;
• Bourdon’s reed is sometimes plastic;
• A key system can cut the air supply in the brush or the torch.

Promotion de la Veuze [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

• Thierry Bertrand, and Lucien Proux, founded together in 1990 at La Garnache (Vendée) the first school in France in France ^{[ 5 ]} . Their goal is to revive this instrument, to prevent the musical heritage from this region from being lost (especially the northwest Vendée).

At La Veuze, Emmanuel Vrignaud and Lucien Poux (in the center), plus Maxime Chevrier of the Arbadétorne group

• An association “Sonneurs de Veuzes” ^{[ 6 ]} was created in Nantes in 1976, for the players of Veuze, and in order to promote knowledge of reading and the history of the instrument ^{[ 7 ] , [ 8 ]} . Its founders included Roland Le Moigne, the presidency was later taken by Thierry Moreau ^{[ 9 ]} , a musician “ear” who turned to the creation of musical arrangements for groups like Hamon -Martin Quartet, Maelstrom Quartet, Duo Bertrand & Cie (Thierry and Sébastien Bertrand – Challans / La Garnache), and Sloï (Sébastien Bertrand). He is currently playing in the Sikamor Quartet strings and the Kordu trio ^{[ ten ]} .

Bibliography [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

• Thierry Jigourel , Brittany Cornemuses , CPE editions, 2011 , “La Veuze, Cornemuse de Haute-Bretagne”, p. 46-55
• “Rediscovery of the VEUZE, Cornemuse of Haute Brittany”, Poor , n ^O 14, April 1988 , p. 14-29
• Henri-François Buffet, Haute-Bretagne , Celtic bookstore, Paris, 1954 (Laffite Reprints 1982)
• Ch. Lecomte, The dolois, study and glossary of the compared patois of the district of St Malo , Champion, 1910
• H. Caulabix, Dictionary of popular phrases of the Box Pays de Rennes in Brittany
• Oust and ugly country of tradition , Grouping of Vilaine countries, 2000
• Abel Hugo, Picturesque France (Description of a wedding in the country of Châteaubriant)
• Charles de la Thébeaudière, “description of a wedding in 1830 in the country of Vitré”, Breton music , n ^O 182, January/February, 2004
• Yves Defrance, Traditional music from Brittany Skol vreizh ( n ^O 39)

Related articles [ modifier | Modifier and code ]