PERFORMANCE

Music and Theatricality

Béchonnet musette France Made by Joseph Béchonnet 1880 Lent by the Musée des musiques populaires, Montluçon

     

These bagpipes, made by Joseph Béchonnet (1820–1900) of Effiat, have been meticulously crafted with remarkable skill. One of the characteristics of Béchonnet's bagpipes is a miniscule drone inserted into the back of the stock, giving it a rounded shape. These have bellows, which Béchonnet introduced to replace the blowpipe, a large drone, and a stock containing a chanter with a parallel drone and a high-pitched drone at the back. A new cover has recently been added to the leather bag. The instrument is made of ebony and the wood of a fruit tree painted black, and has ivory and bone rings. The chanter is signed as follows: Béchonnet. A. Effiat. Puy-de Dôme. The bellows: Béchonnet. A. Effiat. Puy-de-Dôme. 1880.