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Paper short abstract:

The joint performances by a contemporary group of South Bohemian bagpipers, and their social activities, give rise to questions about the new role of traditional folklore in today’s society, in particular with regard to the development of regional identity and the community’s sustainability.

Paper long abstract:

It was only in 2010 that an informal association of South Bohemian bagpipers (Budějcké dudácké sdružení) was established, representing a rare platform for contact among artists, and for the sharing and transformation of the bagpipe music tradition. The group, which consists of members of folklore ensembles from South Bohemia alongside independent individuals interested in Bohemian bagpipe play, offers public collective performances, its set-up of instruments being so unlike the traditional band composition. Their appearances include festivals, concerts and revived traditional music events (carol rounds, harvest festivals, weddings).

The establishment of the group and its mission have had foreign inspirations (Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia); a further incentive has been the artists’ internal need for sharing performance skills and expertise. This phenomenon involves some genuinely practical issues, including production of instruments and ensuring accurate tuning for better harmony, or developing repertoires of bagpipe songs and melodies; of crucial importance are the venues where music activities are to take place, as prior to 1989 they were restricted to the relatively closed community of the folklore movement. The association brings together musicians of all ages, allowing for a truly natural intergenerational dialogue, represents a natural mix of residents of small South Bohemian villages as well as cities, and has a fair representation of female performers, unprecedented in Bohemian bagpipe playing. Other important issues include the creation or rethinking of the regional identity and new roles of the bagpipe in the cultural and social representation of the South Bohemian Region and the Czech Republic.