![]() In Estonia, the bagpiper was an essential addition at dances and social gatherings. He would climb on top of a pile of wood and declare in a loud voice: ‘Who buys firewood from me, will get a piece of bagpipe music free!’ Only when he had sold all his wood were the traders able to sell theirs. Torupilli-Juss was always the first to get rid of his goods. ![]() In his younger years he used to transport firewood to Tallin from Hiiumaa by boat. He was also a good talker, always kind and jolly. He was an excellent musician, and was called the king of bagpipe players. Juhan Maaker (1845-1930) who was nicknamed Torupilli-Juss. If he noticed that someone was slowing down or was not doing the job properly, he stood next to the person and produced sounds with his instrument resembling the screams of a pig which had gotten stuck somewhere! This would at once attract attention and laughter from other workers on the field. In order to make people work more productively, a bagpipe player was brought to the fields, where he followed the harvesters all day playing the torupill. According to some sources, bagpipe players were sometimes exempted from working for the lords of the manor but they had to take part and play at what were called “bagpipe days”. The bagpipe was played for dancing and the bagpiper was an essential figure at weddings and many other significant occasions. The instrument became popular all over Estonia but, along with other folk music, the tradition lasted longest in the west and north of Estonia. However, analysis of the bagpipe tunes from west and north Estonia shows a strong Swedish influence. Sadly, there isn’t enough information to say exactly when the bagpipe became widespread in Estonia but some say that it may have been introduced by the Germans. There is another reference in 1584 in the Livonian Chronicle where it mentions village festivities and the fact that large bagpipes were well-known in the many villages near Tallin. The first mention we have of the bagpipe dates back to the 16 th century when, in describing a peasant’s uprising in 1560, Johannes Renner refers to a bagpiper riding on horseback in front of the rebel’s leader. In fact, sometimes the instrument is simply referred to as a pill. The Estonian bagpipe is called a torupill, with toru meaning pipe and pill being a general term for a musical instrument. Compiled by Catlin Magi and edited by Jane Moulder ![]()
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