Bock: German musical instrument

Variants of the bock, a kind of bagpipe instruments were played in the Central Europe in what are known as the modern states of Austria, Germany, Poland and Czech Republic. The tradition of playing the musical instrument moved into the 20^th century, mainly in the Blata, Chodsko and Egerland provinces of Bohemia and among the sorbs of Saxony. The name ‘bock’ means using the goatskin to construct the bag, analogous to the common use of other goat-skin terms for bagpipe instruments in other nations like the French cabrette.

The earliest explaination about the musical instrument is illustrated on the plate XI and described by Micheal praetorius in his treatise Musicum 2, De Organographia, plates issued differently as Theatrum Instrumentorum.

The drone of the musical instrument is often pitched two octaves below the tonic of the chanter. The single drone and the single chanter possess cylindrical bores and adopt single reeds. The current version of the bock is widely bellows-blown that has the benefit of permitting the piper to sing together with the player of the musical instrument. These bellows-blown pipes are said to have found their way into the southern and western Bohemia in the starting part of the 19^th century. The chanter and the drone of the instrument terminate in amplifying the bells of horn or brass that is angled upwards. The top end of the instrument’s chanter is usually shaped to be in the form a goat-head. In Egerland-style musical instruments, the drone of the instrument hangs downward from the bag of the instrument, besides in the Bohemian version of the instrument, the drone of the instrument extends backward over the shoulder of the player.

The musical instrument is now primarily played in Czech Republic, especially in south Bohemia in Strakonice and in western Bohemia around the town of Domazlice in the province that is known as Chodsko. As the revival of the musical instrument continues, the instrument is also gaining ground in Bavaria and Austria.