Drums and bass drums - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
______________________________________INTRODUCTION_______________________________________
The Holy Week of Zaragoza is unique in Spain,
not only by the fact that represents into the streets along a rich imaginary
about all the Passion of the Christ, but also by the fact that this
representation - The Holy Burial - it is accompanied by a great wealth of
instruments among which stand out the thunderous rumble of the drum and the
bass drum, this last exclusive instrument of Aragon. Percussion in its pure
state.
Drums and Bass drums arrived in Zaragoza around
the mid-twentieth century from the towns of Teruel that today form the Route of
the Drum and the Bass drum and whose drum rolls and strokes are
cinematographically immortalized by Luis Buñuel. The drums were introduced in
Zaragoza by the Brotherhood of the Seven Words in 1940 and the bass drums in
1969 by the Brotherhood of Prendimiento, although it is Cofradía the one of the
Seven Words which introduced it in 1970 as it is known today.
But, although the drum and the bass drum are the
characteristic instruments of the Holy Week in Zaragoza, there is a great
richness and variety of instruments that are present in the holy sound like
rattles in the form of a cross with four or six reeds, manual rattles , bells rattles,
horns, heraldic trumpets or kettledrums, “timbalas” and “timbaletas” besides
accompanying these thunderous sounds the sound of jacks, bands, minstrels or
saetas.
Everything vibrates at Holy Week in Zaragoza: the patches of drums, drums, timbales, kettledrums and “timbaletas” vibrate; the cornet and heraldic tongues vibrate; rattles rattle or vibrate rattles and vibrate the emotions of those who come to live it.
DRUMS
Between the suburbs the drums are redoubled,
that the belly of the night transforms into
white cedar.
Alone, they are alone.
On the frozen ground the kettledrums rumble
traversing the wind in a love of love.
Alone, you are alone.
In the fog of the Ebro a bass drum is interstice
vibrating in solitudes of eternal sounds.
Alone, they play alone.
And the “cierzo” cuts faces by putting the hands
embedded in blows in universe sones.
Alone, you play alone.
They rehearse in silence, absorbed in the night,
above a touch of life, under a touch of death.
Alone, alone in the mystery.
Spring arrives in full moon light,
and the Passion written in drumhead
and death and life in the Risen One.
An afternoon.
One night.
Another night...
Everything has been consummated.
Children and old people remain under the hoods
Delivered lovers, emotions of men,
heart of women, young people in redoubling,
waiting impatiently again for the Passion
in a new moon, in a good death.
Author: Victoria Tejel
____________________________________________DRUM_________________________________________
The drum is a metal cylindrical box with
synthetic patch on its two sides touching with two sticks that strike and
redouble on the patch. The drum, introduced in Zaragoza in 1940, is the
instrument, together with the bass drum, in it’s own right of the Holy Week in
Aragon and Holy Week in Zaragoza. Percussion and execution of prisoners in a
constant present atavistic sound that provokes emotional and mental images in
relation to the Passion of Christ, beyond Life and Death, with Life and with
Death under a full moon of spring. The realistic images in polychrome wood of
the Suffering Man together with the thunderous sound of drums, drums and
kettledrums in the night provoke a singular and cosmic synergy, if you will,
that revolves the interior of people creating moments and experiences of a
transcendent reality.
To learn more: "La percusión en Semana Santa" ("Percussion at Holy Week") and "El tambor, fenómeno cósmico" ("The drum, cosmic phenomenon") both articles have been created
by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion
Drums - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
__________________________________________BASS DRUM______________________________________
The bass drum is a large diameter cylindrical
wooden box with a leather patch on both sides touching a short-handled club
that hits the patch. Due to its large size, it is perhaps the most complex
instrument to carry while processing. The bass drum, introduced in 1969 by the
Guild of the Prendimiento, is the instrument by it’s own right, of the Holy
Week of Aragon and Zaragoza next to the drum. When the drums are beating,
announcing death, rattling, and the thud, the drum beats reverberate in the
night. Blows of entrails that are blood in sound, pain concreted in sound that
calls, speaks and evokes: pain of a Man and a Mother. Suffering pain Pure
synergy that does not leave anyone indifferent.
To learn more: "Timbal y bombo, sones de dolor" (article by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion
To learn more: "Timbal y bombo, sones de dolor" (article by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion
________________________________________KETTLEDRUM______________________________________
The kettledrum is a cylindrical wooden box with
a diameter of around 40 cm and 50 cm in height with a leather patch on both
sides touching a long-handled club that hits the patch. If the drum is beating
that announces the death and the drum the painful rumble of the suffering, the
timbal contributes a dull and dry sound that resembles the breaking of bones,
evoking the instantaneous death, reason why all the instruments are enshrined
in sound some with others to create a reality that far exceeds each of them
separately.
To learn more: "Timbal y bombo, sones de dolor" (article by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion
In the foreground on the right two kettledrums - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
Kettledrum - Photograph by Victor Usieto
_________________________________________”TIMBALA”________________________________________
The “timbala” is an instrument similar to the
timbal, but of lesser atura, and, likewise, it consists of a cylindrical wooden
box with a diameter of around 40 cm, with a leather patch on its two sides
touching with a long-handled club that hits about the patch. Timbala provides a
less dry and dull, softer sound.
_______________________________________"TIMBALETA”_______________________________________
The “timbaleta” is a cylindrical wooden box with
a diameter of around 40 cm and of a lower height than the timbal with a leather
patch on its two sides, touching with two sticks. It is the most recently
introduced instrument by the different Brotherhoods, especially through the
“Piquetes de Honore” - small group of drums and kettledrums - that accompany in
a more intimate and close way the images that procession. But they also appear
playing inside the processions of some guilds.
The sound of the “timbaleta”, much softer than
the sound of the drum, produces a deep and sonorous rumble not very long, but
maintained by the constant redoubling and by the continuous touches of the
drumsticks - and not mace - on the patch. The sound of the “timbaleta” recalls
the rumble of the earth on the one hand and, on the other hand, evokes the
sound that accompanied the armies to provide them with courage and strength
before the battle. And as with them the “timbaleta” provides the strength and
courage necessary to face death.
Sound of “Timbaletas” and rattles in the Procession of Ecce Homo
__________________________________________CORNET_________________________________________
The cornet was the characteristic instrument of the Brotherhood of Silence, who introduced it in 1940 in the Holy Week of Zaragoza. Gradually it was adopted by different Brotherhoods. At present, the Brotherhood of Silence is the only Brotherhood that accompanies its images exclusively with wind instruments: the cornet and the heraldic trumpet.
In the beginning, the cornets in the processions
transmitted with their own touches orders or warnings to end a march, change to
another or warn that a prayer station or other act was going to start. At
present, there are cornet sections and they develop their own marches that
often accompany the images along with honor pickets.
In ancient Rome the presence of mourners, who
were even hired, was common in the funeral procession. His incessant whining,
his plañideo showed before the Roman society the importance of the deceased and
the love so elevated that he professed himself. The sound of the cornets in
their lament brings to mind these mourning mourners in their lament at the
transience of life and the pain of death and the deep sorrow in the face of loss.
The cornets cry in procession.
To learn more: "La corneta, brillo de pasión" (article by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion)
____________________________________HERALDIC TRUMPET____________________________________
The heraldic trumpet is a characteristic instrument of the Brotherhood of Silence of Zaragoza and unique in the Holy Week of Zaragoza. "In 1964, the first group of heraldry formed by seven brothers was formed, the heraldic ones (called elsewhere, bugle or peat) are a type of elongated bugle, with an approximate length of 1.60 meters, whose tube has no turns and valves so it can only emit natural sounds, which evokes the ancient instruments used by the tubicines to indicate orders in Roman times. "
"Of uncertain origin and transcribed in a score kept in the Archives of the Brotherhood, it consists of two parts, which call for prayer and penance and whose primary purpose is to announce the imminent arrival of the procession, although throughout The years have also been played before and after each of the stations of the Way of the Cross when the Brotherhood performed the pious exercise publicly on the afternoon of Holy Thursday. (Source: "La corneta, brillo de pasión", artículo de David Beneded Blázquez).
To learn more:"La corneta, brillo de pasión" (article by David Beneded Blázquez for www.jesusdelahumillacion)
Heraldic trumpet - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
_______________________________________THE RATTLE _______________________________________
The rattle is the characteristic instrument of the Brotherhood of the Ecce Homo of Zaragoza and unique in the Holy Week of Zaragoza. This instrument consists of a beech wood board. On the one hand the board has a handle to hold it and on the other side it has a series of small mallets, which vary in number. By shaking the instrument, the decks hit the board creating a characteristic dull and dry sound that forms rhythmic touches and marches that accompany the Ecce Homo image. The rattles used in general are of small size or rattle hand or manual, but also take out in procession big rattles or belfry formed by large boards with several mallets each, which emit a greater sound. The latter are driven by a crank. The rattle was introduced by the Ecce Homo Brotherhood in 1948.
Hand rattle - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
Hand rattle shaken by cofrades - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
Big or bell tower rattle - Photograph
by Jorge Sesé
________________________________________”CARRACA”________________________________________
The “Carraca” (ratchet) - or “carracla” in Aragón - is the characteristic instrument of the Brotherhood of the Entry of Jesus in Jerusalem and unique in the Holy Week of Zaragoza. The wooden instrument consists of four tabs in the shape of a cross with a toothed wheel in the central position that is driven by a crank. As in the case of the percussion of rattle wood, the rattles also emit a dull and dry sound, although very different and faster, which is produced by rotating the sprocket on the tabs. The ratchet can have different shapes and types, but the most characteristic rattles of this Brotherhood are the cross-shaped rattles of four and six tabs.
The death of Christ occurred about three o'clock
in the afternoon when the day was covered with darkness and the earth trembled.
The rattle because of its rapid, deaf and dry sound was used in the churches to
reproduce this moment of tremor after the death of the Lord.
Ratchet with four tabs, arranged in a cross, with a gear driven by a
crank in a central position - Photograph by Jorge Sesé
__________________________________________BELLS_________________________________________
Two bells are only the instruments that touch the Slaves of Mary, when they procession on Holy Saturday in the Procession of Solitude.
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