Mashak Explained

The mashak (also known as , , , , , , , , ) is a type of bagpipe found in Northern India, Uttarakhand, Sudurpaschim Province (especially Baitadi and Darchula district) of Nepal and parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan.^{[1] [2]} The pipe was associated with weddings and festive occasions.^[3] In India it is historically found in Kumaon and Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.^[4] This bagpipe uses single reeds,^[5] and can be played either as a drone or as a melody instrument.^[6]

Etymology

The etymology of the term mashak stems from its common use in India, referring to a skin bag used for carrying water. This skin bag shares a similar function to the air bag of the bag pipes.^[7]

Relation with the Scottish Highland pipes

Some academics dispute any indigenous origins of the mashak; researcher Ander Burton Alter wrote in 2000 that the pipes today played in Kumaon are Scottish Highland bagpipes with one bass and two tenor drones, with no local manufacturer or evidence of existence prior to British rule in 1814.^[8] Organologist Anthony Baines, however, described an intermediary development stage wherein Indian musicians imitated the Highland pipe by tying "an extra pipe or two" into their mashak.^[9] Similarly, the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments (1984) describes the traditional mashak as becoming rare as it is displaced by the Scottish pipes.^[10]

Bagpipes in Uttarakhand

The bagpipe is an essential part of music and culture of Garhwal and Kumaon. ^{[11] [12]}

Cultural significance

In the central Himalayan region of Uttarakhand in Northern India the masak baja or masakbeen is an important part of rural wedding ceremonies. The masak baja is played to process with the groom's on their way to and from the bride's village.^[13] The masak is accompanied by two pipers and drummers. The masak and its accompanying instruments send a clear message across the audible area that a wedding is taking place.The masakbeen is also used in Choliya or Chaliya dance of Kumaon and Sudurpaschim province of Nepal.

Discography

• Various Artists – Footprints In The Desert... track Rajasthan's Bagpipe (Mashak). De Kulture
• Various – Music From The Shrines Of Ajmer and Mundra track Populat Naubat Shahna'i. Topic Records (UK), 1995

See also

• Titti (bagpipe), a Telugu bagpipe of Andhra Pradesh
• Sruti upanga, a drone bagpipe of Tamil Nadu

Notes and References

1. Day . CR . Notes on Indian Music . Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association . Twentieth Session, 1893–94 . 13 February 1894 . Novello, Ewer, & Co . London . 64–.
2. Garhwali Bagpipes: Syncretic Processes in a North Indian Regional Musical Tradition. 834409. Asian Music. 1997-10-01. 1–16. 29. 1. 10.2307/834409. Andrew. Alter.
3. Book: Himal Associates. Himāl. 23 April 2011. 1993. Himal Associates. 24.
4. Andrew Alter. Garhwali & Kumaoni Bagpipes: Syncretic Processes in a North Indian Regional Musical Tradition. Asian Music, Vol. 29, No. 1 (Autumn, 1997 - Winter, 1998), pp. 1-16.Published by: University of Texas Press, link at JSTOR.
5. Book: Geneviève Dournon. Handbook for the collection of traditional music and musical instruments. 23 April 2011. May 2000. Unesco. 978-92-3-103304-9. 23.
6. Book: Sibyl Marcuse. A survey of musical instruments. registration. 24 April 2011. April 1975. Harper & Row. 978-0-06-012776-3.
7. Garhwali Bagpipes: Syncretic Processes in a North Indian Regional Musical Tradition. 834409. Asian Music. 1997-10-01. 1–16. 29. 1. 10.2307/834409. Andrew. Alter.
8. Alter, Andrew Burton. 2000. Dancing the Gods: Power and Meaning in the Music of Garhwal, North India. Monash University, Victoria, Australia.
9. Book: Anthony Baines. Bagpipes. 23 April 2011. 1979. Pitt Rivers Museum. 56.
10. Book: Stanley Sadie. The New Grove dictionary of musical instruments. 23 April 2011. 1984. Macmillan Press. 978-0-943818-05-4.
11. Web site: Chari . Mridula . A reminder for the Scots: India has a thriving bagpipe tradition too . 2022-08-08 . Scroll.in . en-US.
12. Book: Fiol, Stefan . Recasting Folk in the Himalayas: Indian Music, Media, and Social Mobility . 2017-09-11 . University of Illinois Press . 978-0-252-09978-6 . en.
13. Garhwali Bagpipes: Syncretic Processes in a North Indian Regional Musical Tradition. 834409. Asian Music. 1997-10-01. 1–16. 29. 1. 10.2307/834409. Andrew. Alter.