I was you-tubing this afternoon and I came across a clip of a german bagpiper and his calling card was 'dudelsackspieler'. So, from my classical studies at uni I know spiel is referred to as a song/sing, so is a bagpipe known as a 'dudelsack'? Or have I erred terribly in my crude translation?
Yep, that's right. German's know two major words for bagpipes: Sackpfeife (which actually is a literal translation of bagpipe) and the more colloquial "Dudelsack". "Dudeln" is a verb meaning "to play badly" or "to crank", which gives us a glimpse of the social status pipers had in Germany when this instrument was still popular here. One must also know that the very most germans never heard of anything else but the highland pipes and find the word Dudelsack quite appropiate...
I'd put Dudelsack on a par with squeezebox, except that Dudelsack is not a derogatory nickname, but the official German word for a Bagpipe - I have only ever heard Sackpfeife from people who actually play recontructions of medieval German pipes where they use it to refer to a particular type. Another is called the Hümmelchen which is a very small one drone pipe. ( a "Hümmel" is a bumble bee.) This may be a regional difference - I am in Hamburg.
Squeezebox in German is "Quetschkommode" by the way... I just like the sound of the word! It is almost a literal translation. "Quetschen" means to squeeze (squash) something - interestingly "Quietschen" would be "sqeaking"...
"spielen" is to play, also in the sense of to "play" a musical instrument.
Alright, here's the Austrian for the local differences. Dudelsack is not derisive in any way around here , although the greater part only knows ONE kind of bagpipes, so the general term dudelsack usually refers to the Great Highland Bagpipes. Around here, "dudeln" does not mean play badly, but rather has no fixed meaning, only thing sure is that it refers to a kind of music being played, as mentioned above, the term "Sackpfeife" is only known to those involved in some kind of piping tradition. As for the Sqeezebox, the Austrian version is simply the "Quetschn" which would translate to "Sqeezy". So in conclusion, Dudelsack is a very colloqial word, could be derisive doesn't have to and in lack of another word, it is the official term, but refers in 99% of the cases to the GHB.
it is possible that it stems from the french meaning, however the word kommode only means piece of furniture in todays german. But at least in dialects there is the word "kommod", which would be close to the french pronounciation of the word commode, which really means convenient, just to confuse matters a little more
thinking of the probabilities i can imagine the inventor of the word quetschkommode jokingly referring to the accordion as a small wooden cupboard, in the same way as it is in english referred to as box, and then there was the quetsch added exaclty like the squeezebox, am i making sense there?
Well, it certainly would make a statement about the hidden qualities of the instrument....;) Nah, I do like the box, and i only use the term Quetschn, while Quetschkommode might be more interesting, it isn't used round here in Vienna, and Quetschn DOES circumvent the etymology-problems, no ambiguity about the verb squeeze i would say
German Bagpipe translation
German Bagpipe translation
I was you-tubing this afternoon and I came across a clip of a german bagpiper and his calling card was 'dudelsackspieler'. So, from my classical studies at uni I know spiel is referred to as a song/sing, so is a bagpipe known as a 'dudelsack'? Or have I erred terribly in my crude translation?
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by b2jay
Re: German Bagpipe translation
http://www.hotpipes.com/pipe0014.html
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Ramiro
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Yep, that's right. German's know two major words for bagpipes: Sackpfeife (which actually is a literal translation of bagpipe) and the more colloquial "Dudelsack". "Dudeln" is a verb meaning "to play badly" or "to crank", which gives us a glimpse of the social status pipers had in Germany when this instrument was still popular here. One must also know that the very most germans never heard of anything else but the highland pipes and find the word Dudelsack quite appropiate...
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by s.g.
Re: German Bagpipe translation
My mother and grandparents used dudelsack as a nickname
for my baby sister
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Hup
Re: German Bagpipe translation
So is that mildly derisive like "squeezebox" or ruder than that?
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by TomB-R
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I'd consider it to be ruder - it assumes that the player has no musicality and only toots around.
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by s.g.
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I suppose that's the origin of the English word "doodle"! Maybe it got into the language via German immigrants into the USA.
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by nicholas
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I'd put Dudelsack on a par with squeezebox, except that Dudelsack is not a derogatory nickname, but the official German word for a Bagpipe - I have only ever heard Sackpfeife from people who actually play recontructions of medieval German pipes where they use it to refer to a particular type. Another is called the Hümmelchen which is a very small one drone pipe. ( a "Hümmel" is a bumble bee.) This may be a regional difference - I am in Hamburg.
Squeezebox in German is "Quetschkommode" by the way... I just like the sound of the word! It is almost a literal translation. "Quetschen" means to squeeze (squash) something - interestingly "Quietschen" would be "sqeaking"...
"spielen" is to play, also in the sense of to "play" a musical instrument.
Chris
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Crackpot
Re: German Bagpipe translation
The Germans also introduced "Doodle Bugs". Very popular around The Clydebandk area, I believe.
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Johannes J
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Oops, sorry!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k7U-_tJVmw
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Johannes J
Re: German Bagpipe translation
By the way: "Sackpfeife" can also be a swearword. So if somebody calls you this way, he might refer to something different than your pipes
. .
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by fiddlinsue
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Alright, here's the Austrian for the local differences. Dudelsack is not derisive in any way around here , although the greater part only knows ONE kind of bagpipes, so the general term dudelsack usually refers to the Great Highland Bagpipes. Around here, "dudeln" does not mean play badly, but rather has no fixed meaning, only thing sure is that it refers to a kind of music being played, as mentioned above, the term "Sackpfeife" is only known to those involved in some kind of piping tradition. As for the Sqeezebox, the Austrian version is simply the "Quetschn" which would translate to "Sqeezy". So in conclusion, Dudelsack is a very colloqial word, could be derisive doesn't have to and in lack of another word, it is the official term, but refers in 99% of the cases to the GHB.
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by TMB
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I would translate "Quetschkommode", as a commode which is squeezed - the mind boggles!
# Posted on April 23rd 2008 by Ebor_fiddler
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I think 'dudelsackspieler' is just Bagpipe player, or bagpiper. I think 'song' would be Lied (plural Lieder).
Quetschkommode is a really cool word! As a squeezer and an occasional and poor German speaker as well I'll try to remember that one.
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by kjay_bc_box
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Oxford english dictionary:
commode
• noun 1 a piece of furniture containing a concealed chamber pot. 2 a chest of drawers of a decorative type popular in the 18th century.
— ORIGIN French, ‘convenient, suitable’.
I think the German in this case is probably the second meaning... Though as EBor_fiddler says, the mind does boggle at the possibilities...
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by Crackpot
Re: German Bagpipe translation
it is possible that it stems from the french meaning, however the word kommode only means piece of furniture in todays german. But at least in dialects there is the word "kommod", which would be close to the french pronounciation of the word commode, which really means convenient, just to confuse matters a little more
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by TMB
Re: German Bagpipe translation
thinking of the probabilities i can imagine the inventor of the word quetschkommode jokingly referring to the accordion as a small wooden cupboard, in the same way as it is in english referred to as box, and then there was the quetsch added exaclty like the squeezebox, am i making sense there?
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by TMB
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Yes, TMB, that is exactly what I imagine too. The English second meaning with the chamber pot (not present in German) is however too cute to ignore...
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by Crackpot
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Well, it certainly would make a statement about the hidden qualities of the instrument....;) Nah, I do like the box, and i only use the term Quetschn, while Quetschkommode might be more interesting, it isn't used round here in Vienna, and Quetschn DOES circumvent the etymology-problems, no ambiguity about the verb squeeze i would say
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by TMB
Re: German Bagpipe translation
In English, a "commode" is a moveable toilet, generally set in a biggish box.
I have heard and owned squeeze-boxes for which this would possibly be the best use. Never thought of it before!
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by nicholas
Re: German Bagpipe translation
Bagpipes, an ill wind that blows no one any good!
# Posted on April 24th 2008 by bordglas
Re: German Bagpipe translation
I thought it was an ill wind that no one blows any good...?
# Posted on April 25th 2008 by Crackpot