Bagpipes — Säckpipa
For hundreds of years the Swedish bagpipe, Säckpipa, was an important folk music instrument, especially in the landscape of Dalarna (Dalecarlia) where the last pipers played well into the 20th century. One of most known historians of the late medieval era, Olaus Magnus, wrote in the 16th century that the Swedish bagpipe was used as an instrument for dancing and herding. For various reasons the Swedish bagpipe tradition was weakened at the end of the 19th century. The last piper playing in tradition was Gudmunds Nils Larsson from Dala-Järna in western Dalarna. He died 1949. The Säckpipa revival began in the beginning of the 1980ies. Now you can hear the Säckpipa in modern folk or early music groups, even in rock bands!
More about the Säckpipa here
Säckpipan var under århundraden ett betydelsefullt folkmusikinstrument, inte minst i Dalarna, där de sista pipblåsarna verkade en bit in på 1900-talet. Senmedeltidens främste skildrare, Olaus Magnus, beskriver säckpipan som ett dans- och herdeinstrument. Av olika orsaker började den svenska säckpipetraditionen att mattas av under 1800-talets slut. Den siste traditionsbäraren, Gudmunds Nils Larsson i Dala-Järna, dog 1949. I början av 1980-talet började instrumentet leva upp igen. I dag kan man höra svensk säckpipa spelas inom folklig och tidig musik, ja till och med i en del rockband!
Mer om den svenska säckpipan här