Huemmelchen Explained

thumb | Modern hümmelchenThe hümmelchen is a type of small German bagpipe, attested in Syntagma Musicum^[1] by Michael Praetorius during the Renaissance.

Early versions are believed to have double-reeded chanters, most likely with single-reeded drones.

The word "hümmelchen" probably comes from the Low German word hämeln meaning "trim". This may refer to the hümmelchen's small size, resembling a trimmed-down version of a larger bagpipe. Another possibly etymology comes from the word hummel ("bumblebee"), referring to the buzzing sound of the drone. The term hummel is still used to refer to a type of droning zither in Germanic countries.

External links

• Description of the hümmelchen
• A performer's guide to Renaissance music

Notes and References

1. Book: Praetorius, Michael . 1615 . Syntagma musicum : ex veterum et recentiorum, ecclesiasticorum autorum lectione, polyhistorum consignatione, variarum linguarum notatione, hodierni seculi usurpatione, ipsius denique music©Œ artis observatione : in cantorum, organistarum, organop¿orum, c©Œterorumque musicam scientiam amantium & tractantium gratiam collectum : et secundum generalem indicem toti operi pr©Œfixum, in quatuor tomos distributum . [Wittenberg]

   [Johann Richter]; [Wolfenbüttel]: [Elias Holwein]

   .