Doedelzak (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdudəlˌzɑk]) is the name for bagpipes in the Netherlands and the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) northern part of Belgium. This region is where painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder lived and worked. In the past, other names like pijpzak and moezelzak were also used. These names were once common across Europe and are still found in similar instruments, such as piposa (pipe au sac) in Picardy and muchosa (muse au sac) in the Belgian province of Hainaut. Some sources say that "muse" was the earliest name for this family of instruments in many parts of Europe and is still used in the French term "cornemuse," which refers to all types of bagpipes.
The term "pijpezak" describes a type of two-droned Flemish bagpipe, as shown in the artwork of Pieter Bruegel the Elder and others. The instrument is held in front of the player rather than under the arm, as seen in the painting at the top of this article. The two drone pipes, which have single reeds and are usually a fifth apart in musical pitch, are attached to the same stock and face upward or slightly forward, depending on the piper's position. The chanter has a conical shape and uses a double reed.
Details
The pijpzak looks similar to the cornemuse du Centre of Central France at first glance. However, the cornemuse du Centre has more variety in the number of drones, whether they share a common part or not, and how they are arranged. The drones can rest backward over the shoulder, sideways over the arm, or both, like the chabrette. The small drone can also sit next to the chanter.
A major difference between the pijpzak and the cornemuse du Centre is the chanter. Modern instruments use the standardized chanter from the cornemuse du Centre (a modern design that allows overblowing). However, the original instrument shown in Breugel’s paintings had a different chanter. It lacked a thumb hole and had special features in the finger holes and required a specific type of reed. Only one instrument from that time was partially preserved and is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. Further studies of this instrument are not allowed. However, many years ago, precise measurements were taken, and all later developments are based on that information.
The Belgian pipe maker Wout Vanloffeld compared the available information to Breugel’s detailed paintings and to Michael Praetorius’s accurate descriptions in his Syntagma Musicum. He created reconstructions and models and designed an adapted reed, following Praetorius’s suggestions, such as adding a left thumb hole. The original instrument was in the key of D or E, not G, which matches Praetorius’s description. It likely existed in both plagal and authentic versions. Its sound and fingering differ from the cornemuse du Centre, allowing for different musical possibilities.