The Zampogna is a bagpipe from Italy. It is unusual in that there are two chanter pipes - one for each hand - that play the melody. All four pipes have long double reeds : air from the bag is squeezed over these reeds to produce the zampogna's organlike sound. Accompanied by the ciaramella, the zampogna is played in towns, especially around Christmas.
Family |
Woodwinds |
Pitch range |
5 notes on the low chanter, 6 notes on the high chanter. |
Material |
Inflated animal-skin bag and wooden pipes. |
Size |
Variable : this example is about 24 in (61 cm) long. |
Origins |
The zampogna is a bagpipe from Italy, Sicily, and Malta. Bagpipes evolved from shawms over 2,000 years ago. |
Classification |
Aerophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of a column of air. |
And also... |
The zampogna is always played with the ciaramella - a conical chanter, or shawm. They are frequently heard together in towns around Christmas-time, and are known as pifferari. |