The gaita transmontana or gaita de foles mirandesa is a type of

bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, ...

native to the Trás-os-Montes region of Portugal.

History

The most ancient records of this instrument date from the 18th century, mostly written. Its culture has been passed since then from father to son until the 20th century, with some small differences from region to region. In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, it can be found mainly in Trás-os-Montes region, specially in

Vinhais Vinhais (; cel-x-proto, Veniatia) is a municipality in the district of Bragança, northern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 9,066, in an area of 694.76 km2. The present mayor is Américo Afonso Pereira, elected by the Socialist Party. T ...

, Bragança, Miranda and

Mogadouro Mogadouro (, ) is a municipality in Portugal. The population in ''2011'' was 9,542, in an area of 760.65 km2. History The history of Mogadouro is evident in the number of castros that dot the landscape of region from the neolithic period. ...

, but also in Guarda and Castelo Branco. Some Portuguese regiments from Minho, Trás-os-Montes and Guarda used the bagpipes to mark the marching cadence, although the standard marching pattern of the Portuguese infantry regiments was the same as the French. Northern Portugal, specially above the

Douro river The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part o ...

, is a very mountainous region, where the sound of bagpipes can be heard miles away due to the resonance effect created by the oppressive humidity and altitude. The gaita transmontana has a peculiarly grave tone, which resulted in an awkwardly low pitch. In fact, numerous written records of French commanders during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

noted the intimidating effect the sound had on foot soldiers, specially at night, unfamiliar with such sound. Only recently this type of bagpipe has been recovered through the gathering of repertoires, aided by the promotion of the instrument from several bagpipe associations from

and Galicia in Spain. {{cite web, url=https://sonsdamusica.pt/2015/03/the-galician-bagpipe/, title=The Galician bagpipe, first=Mário, last=Estanislau, date=13 March 2015, website=Sons da Música

Terminology

Many protest that the term gaita mirandesa is somewhat imprecise, given that the city of

Miranda do Douro Miranda do Douro () or Miranda de l Douro in Mirandese () is a city and a municipality in the district of Bragança, northeastern Portugal. The population in 2011 was 7,482, in an area of 487.18 km². The town proper had a population of 1,9 ...

is only a small area within the territory comprised by Trás-os-montes, where the instrument is traditionally held to have originated, particularly in the

comarcas A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

, Bragança, and

, in addition to Miranda. For that reason, perhaps it would be more correct to call it "gaita-de-fole transmontana" or just "gaita-de-fole", which it is still called by the oldest players of the instrument. The name "transmontana" serves only to distinguish it from other Iberian bagpipes, such as the Gallician and Asturian varieties.

References

External links

Sobre a gaita transmontana
Bagpipes Portuguese musical instruments