Pastoral, dionysisch, unfein? Die höfische Sonderrolle der Musette

• Published in: Archiv für Musikwissenschaft Vol. 80; no. 1; pp. 43 - 61
• Main Author: León-Villagrá, Paloma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: German
• Published: Stuttgart Franz Steiner Verlag 01.01.2023
• Subjects: Bagpipe music; Baroque era; Boismortier, Joseph Bodin de; Embodiment; Wind instruments
• ISSN: 0003-9292; 2366-2794
• DOI: 10.25162/AFMW-2023-0003

The bellows-blown bagpipe known as the musette, primarily employed at the French court for the portrayal of Arcadian shepherd life, was in all probability the namesake for the musical form Musette that was equally at home in various contexts, from theatrical settings to suites and short faux-popular tunes. The form's apparent lack of a primary meter or other predominant musical elements, beyond its drone bass of varying length and one or more simple, song-like upper voices-in short, its obvious constrictions-echo the circumscribed use and embodiment of the instrument. Taken together, they broaden our understanding of a category of court music that depicted a figmental country life, bound as it was to both a palpable sense of social decorum and diverse instrumental and formal possibilities. Neben einem allgemein wiederholungsreichen Aufbau, oft ,en Rondeau' gestaltet, lassen sich diese betonte Simplizität und Stimmenbeschaffenheit als markanteste Aspekte einer Form feststellen, die keinen üblichen Normierungen wie einer vorherrschenden Metrik oder Auftaktigkeit unterlag.