But the idea was to play in events?
VH: It started without any ambition. That is, we learn to play an instrument and were gradually coalescing, several elements, there were those who stayed, others left because they did not identify with the group, them we solidified and currently is more consistent, the musical part. After that, the partnership began to emerge, street theater, animation.
Do you remember your first performance?
VH: It was in a meeting in Porto Santo, only two of us. It is when there is something more organized.
The drummers?
Duarte Salgado: We were invited to join the group in the festival of Columbus.
But how did this invitation occur?
CS: Once again in conversation in a cafe, we had teamed up to play and two days were started to play in the festival.
So where does appear the medieval context?
CS: We started to establish partnerships since 2008. We scored presence in the medieval market, Xavier enters at that time, as he says, and he is just a kid with some balls and juggling moves.
Xavier Miguel: A friend of mine should have appeared, but could not. I met Bruno and enter the group.
Bruno, tell me a little of your passion for the bagpipes and its origin?
Bruno Monterroso: I started playing bagpipes since the age of 18. It was not an instrument that interested me much, although I had acquired one. My brother is a professional piper. I had the melodies in my head and so I also started playing the instrument. I am from a part of Portugal where this instrument is typical. I am descended from a family that lives in a border of Tras-os-Montes and Minho. In the Minho we play the Galician bagpipes and in Tras-os-Montes the mirandese bagpipe, which is called the Portuguese. The region is isolated in time that sucks the background of these different regions, this way of being. The bagpipes were also present on the island, because at the time of discoveries, there are historical accounts that say that this instrument was part of the culture of Madeira. It was lost of the collective memory and people no longer bear this instrument, the image of the piper, in the background as a cultural form. Just think in the past was necessary, in festivals and religious processions, instruments that were audible, what could be projected without any technical help? The bagpipes and the instruments of repercussion. They were then introduced others, they say that the accordion is the most traditional of the island, but this instrument only appeared in the late nineteenth century. Of course, that when the pipers disappeared for centuries, it is obvious that the grandparents did not told this story, then this will be lost in the collective memory. There is one aspect that I find curious here in Madera is that they always say I like this music and I do not know why, I understand that the vein of the past never fades and is always throbbing in the blood and when we hear something that we identified with it and question us why.
Tell me about the musical scores. You brought it with you or you made some research?
BM: There are several songs that have been collected and are in music shits, because right now there are many pipers. Most of the traditional songs played at this point were gather by Giacometti and other musicologists who travel thru Portugal and managed to collect and transcribe the best possible way. The mirandese bagpipe has different settings and the musicians were not as virtuous as they are today, now there are excellent performers. It was difficult even to write songs, because they had difficulty figuring out the type of note. Many pipers who survived were able to record these tunes. There was a gathering that allowed this walk and I think we owe much to those musicologists, not all were Portuguese who did this work. They warned people that there was a total oblivion, this is your play it. This is very important. Take what is ours and unbury it. Go get all of these cultural forms revive them and that is what we are doing here. Possibly in a second phase will play originals, but it is very important to get the pipes, the Portuguese bagpipes.
But where did you find these references of the instrument on the island?
BM: In "elucidario madeirense" by Gaspar Frutuoso, were a priest and a researcher, who said there is no festival or pilgrimage without the joy of bass drums and the sound of the bagpipes.
The music shits did not exist at that time then?
BM: That leads us to another conversation. The guidelines that existed at a time in history were not the same of those that exist today. Previously the guidelines had four lines of plainsong. The ones that existed were for liturgical music, not the so-called profane music. Knowledge was passed from mouth to mouth; the melodies were tampered before arriving at today totally changed.
The music for bagpipes was only passed from generation to generation?
BM: Yes, but not only. Obviously it is not exhaustive, but most clearly so, although the bagpipes had been part of sacred music at a given point in history, for a short time. In the old days people went to church to hear music, also in the present days, but there were periods when that did not happen. Transcripts I know of, no.
Gaitúlia Why the name?
BM: I was working at the time in special education and did many musical tricks with the bagpipe and one of the performances this name appeared, It mean pipers gatherings. We make a party with the bagpipes.
