The ''launeddas'' (also called Sardinian triple

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

) are a traditional

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

woodwind instrument Woodwind instruments are a family of musical instruments within the greater category of wind instruments. Common examples include flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon, and saxophone. There are two main types of woodwind instruments: flutes and Reed ...

made of three pipes, each of which has an idioglot

single reed A single-reed instrument is a woodwind instrument that uses only one reed to produce sound. The very earliest single-reed instruments were documented in ancient Egypt, as well as the Middle East, Greece, and the Roman Empire. The earliest types o ...

. They are a

polyphonic Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice, monophony, or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords, h ...

instrument, with one of the pipes functioning as a

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

and the other two playing the melody in thirds and sixths. Predecessors of the launeddas are found throughout

Northern Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...

. In 2700 BCE, the

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

ian reed pipes were originally called " memet"; during the

Old Kingdom of Egypt In ancient Egyptian history, the Old Kingdom is the period spanning c. 2700–2200 BC. It is also known as the "Age of the Pyramids" or the "Age of the Pyramid Builders", as it encompasses the reigns of the great pyramid-builders of the Fourth ...

(2778–2723 BCE), memets were depicted on the reliefs of seven tombs at

Saqqara Saqqara ( ar, سقارة, ), also spelled Sakkara or Saccara in English , is an Egyptian village in Giza Governorate, that contains ancient burial grounds of Egyptian royalty, serving as the necropolis for the ancient Egyptian capital, Memphis. ...

, six tombs at

Giza Giza (; sometimes spelled ''Gizah'' arz, الجيزة ' ) is the second-largest city in Egypt after Cairo and fourth-largest city in Africa after Kinshasa, Lagos and Cairo. It is the capital of Giza Governorate with a total population of 9.2 ...

, and the pyramids of Queen Khentkaus. The Sardinian launeddas themselves are an ancient instrument, being traced back to at least the eighth century BCE,Surian, Alesso. "Tenores and Tarantellas". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe and the Middle East'', pg. 189–201. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. . Surian calls the launeddas ''very ancient, appearing on votive statues from the 8th century BC.'' as is testified during the

Nuragic civilization The Nuragic civilization, also known as the Nuragic culture, was a civilization or culture on Sardinia (Italy), the second largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, which lasted from the 18th century BC (Middle Bronze Age) (or from t ...

by an ithyphallic

bronze statuette Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

found in

Ittiri Ittiri ( sc, Itiri Cannedu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Sassari in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari and about south of Sassari. It is part of the Logudoro traditional region. Ittiri is locat ...

. The launeddas are still played today during religious ceremonies and dances (''su ballu'' in

Sardinian language Sardinian or Sard ( , or ) is a Romance languages, Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the Western Mediterranean island of Sardinia. Many Romance linguists consider it the language that is closest to Latin among all its genealogica ...

).Surian, pg. 190 Distinctively, they are played using extensive variations on a few melodic phrases, and a single piece can last over an hour, producing some of the "most elemental and resonant (sounds) in European music".

Description

Launeddas are used to play a complex style of music by

circular breathing Circular breathing is a technique used by players of some wind instruments to produce a continuous tone without interruption. It is accomplished by breathing through the nose while simultaneously pushing air through the mouth using air stored ...

that has achieved some international attention, especially

Efisio Melis Efisio Melis (1890–1970) was a Sardinian folk musician, and noted to have been one of the greatest launeddas players in the world. He was born in Villaputzu near the southeastern tip of the island of Sardinia, the same town of fellow noted ...

, Antonio Lara, Dionigi Burranca and

Luigi Lai Luigi Lai (born July 25, 1932) is an Italian musician from Sardinia, and is living heir of the school of Sarrabus players of the launeddas. Lai was born at San Vito, in the province of Cagliari. As a child in nearby Villaputzu, he became a stu ...

. Melis and Lara were the biggest stars of the 1930s golden age of launeddas, and each taught their style to apprentices like Lara's Aureliu Porcu."Franco Melis". Musical Traditions Internet Magazine. URL accessed on 26 August 2005. Launeddas consist of three reed pipes, two five-holed chanters of different lengths and one

. They are played using circular breathing. Since the late 20th century the launeddas have also been used in non-traditional contexts. In 1990, the American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

saxophonist

Dave Liebman David Liebman (born September 4, 1946) is an American saxophonist, flautist and jazz educator. He is known for his innovative lines and use of atonality. He was a frequent collaborator with pianist Richie Beirach. In June 2010, he received a N ...

released a CD called ''The Blessing of the Old. Long Sound'', where he collaborates with the launeddas players Alberto Mariani, Carlo Mariani, and Dionigi Burranca. The CD was recorded in

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

in November 1989. In 1996, the British

free jazz Free jazz is an experimental approach to jazz improvisation that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s when musicians attempted to change or break down jazz conventions, such as regular tempos, tones, and chord changes. Musicians during ...

saxophonist

Evan Parker Evan Shaw Parker (born 5 April 1944) is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation. Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free ja ...

released a double-CD collaboration with Carlo Mariani and other world musicians entitled ''Synergetics—Phonomanie III'', which was recorded in

Ulrichsberg Ulrichsberg is a municipality in the district of Rohrbach in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Geography Ulrichsberg lies in Mühlviertel in Upper Austria near the Bohemian Forest and along the ''Große Mühl'' river (north of the Danube). ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in September 1993.

References

Listening

Launeddas player Luigi Lai

External links

Sonus de Canna
information on history, characteristics, construction details, partially in Italian
Triplepipe.net
information on history, pictures, and

MP3 MP3 (formally MPEG-1 Audio Layer III or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III) is a coding format for digital audio developed largely by the Fraunhofer Society in Germany, with support from other digital scientists in the United States and elsewhere. Origin ...

samples
All about launeddas and sardinian music
{{Authority control Sardinian musical instruments Single-reed instruments Early musical instruments Italian musical instruments

Description

See also

References

Further reading

Listening

External links