The żaqq (; with definite article: '; plural: ') is the most common form of
Maltese bagpipes. The instrument was once associated with Maltese folk-festivals.
History
The use of the żaqq in daily life came to an end in the 1970s, the instrument having been perhaps replaced by the accordion earlier in the century.
In 1977 the
Galpin Society
The Galpin Society was formed in October 1946 to further research into the branch of musicology known as organology, i.e. the history, construction, development and use of musical instruments. Based in the United Kingdom, it is named after the emin ...
noted only nine remaining traditional pipers in Malta; the last of these, Toni "l-Hammarun" Cachia, died in 2004.
[. ''Last of the Maltese Bagpipers of Old'] There are ongoing attempts to revive the instrument by various folk music ensembles such as
Etnika.
Etymology and spelling
It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the zapp due to a spelling error in a 1939 English-language publication. The Maltese word ''żaqq'' literally means "sack" or "belly" and derives from Arabic ' ( "skin"
s a receptacle. It is sometimes stated that ''żaqq'' derives from Italian ' but this is not the case.
Further reading
*Ruben Zahra.
Iz-zaqq the Maltese bagpipe'. Mills College Theses, Mills College
References
Maltese musical instruments
Bagpipes
{{Bagpipes-stub