The Bagpipe Society

The Asturian Bagpipe

Last year I contributed an interview with José Ángel Hevia (known usually simply as Hevia) to the Spring 2024 chanter. His instrument, the Asturian Gaita, has been rarely mentioned in Chanter over the years (despite so much on other pipes from the Iberian Peninsula), so this article is an attempt to provide an introduction on the instrument. Today, there are thousands of players in Asturias, mostly playing in bands; others in folk-groups inspired by those in other Celtic nations. The surge of interest in the gaita coincided with the democratic transition in Spain, which commenced in the late 1970s, and included not only the new formations, but also a renewed interest in the traditional repertoire and older combinations or instruments and singers. I will outline the new scene in the next Chanter and include resources for those interested in either learning the instrument or playing its repertoire on other pipes, but here we will focus on the prior history and traditions surrounding the instrument.

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