In November, the Folkloristic Group “Wielkopolanie” completed the task “Master of Tradition – New Nadzieja” co-financed by the Minister of Culture, National Heritage and Sports under the Folk and Traditional Culture 2021 program.

The task of the project was to protect the intangible cultural heritage of Wielkopolska Bagpipes Traditions through the organization and implementation of workshops for the construction of Greater Poland bagpipes of the Bukowsko-Kosciański type and “sierszenki”. The classes were conducted in the workshop of Andrzej Mendlewski, a builder of folk musical instruments, for 7 months. The participants of the classes were people representing three age generations who will cultivate the traditions of building and playing regional instruments. The following students stood  at lathes, drills, planes and other tools: Piotr Kulka, Piotr Górecki, Jakub Sławiński and Fryderyk Jankowski, who gained and expanded their knowledge in the field of construction of bagpipes, music, workshop equipment, cultivating the traditions of ancestors and maintaining the activity of the vanishing profession of builder . The direct recipients of the workshops are people involved in the musical world of Greater Poland culture, practitioners, playing bagpipes, as well as representatives of the dying profession of bagpipe instrument builder. They represent different generations: secondary school students, university students and working people. Thanks to this, the project implementers wanted the knowledge and experience of the Master to reach several generations of people willing to acquire his legacy and cultivate and popularize for the next years. The indirect recipients of the project are students of primary and secondary schools, as well as seniors to whom all components of the task are addressed, in particular, however, an organized lecture by Paweł Zawadzki along with a presentation of the instruments made, photo gallery, film material documenting the Wielkopolska traditions of the dying profession of builders of instruments responsible for protection and popularization of intangible cultural heritage. “Wielkopolanie” from the very beginning of its activity cultivate and popularize this extremely rich musical folklore of their own region. The ministerial project of building these instruments characteristic of their own region, implemented in 2021, contributed to instilling in younger generations the most valuable principles of their production, which the musicians of Forge of Tradition tell about in schools and kindergartens in Greater Poland. The first center they visited was the Youth Cultural Center in Poznań. It was here that they met with children for whom they organized a concert and presentation of these popular and characteristic instruments for the Wielkopolska region.

PK