Albanian bagpipe (Alb. mishnicë, meshnicë, beshnicë, gajde, terquk, karamunxë, kacek or kaçup) is an Albanian indigenous traditional bagpipe, which is played among Albanian folklorists, such as Shaqir Hoti in Kosovo. The bagpipe has a nasal but harmonious sound. The Albanian bagpipe is verbally accentuated to the Albanian language, according to Baud-Bovy.

Gillian Gloyer reported that the northern Albanian bagpipe sounded similar to the Celtic one. The instrument has a pentatonic scale and is used for polyphonic music. Among shepherds, the instrument is known as kaçup and in southern Albania, as kacek. Among the Arbereshë of Italy, its known as karamunxë or karramancë.

The playing of bagpipes among Albanians is closely connected to the practice of herding livestock. According to Thalloczy, the Illyrians sang war chants accompanied by the flute and bagpipe. Musicologist Anthony Banes believes that the Albanian bagpipe, among others, emerged in the Paleolithic and Neolithic time period. Albanian bagpipes are reported to be have been used among Albanians of Greece in the early 1820s. The bagpipe is nowadays mainly used in South Albania in Berati, Kuçovë, Pogradec, Gramsh, Devoll, Korçë and Librazhd.

References

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