May – Aix-en-Provence – an ancestral tradition: the Festival of the tabor
From 20th to 28th May, Aix-en-Provence continues an ancestral tradition with the Festival of the tabor, a musical instrument which is emblematic of Provence. From throughout Provence, and also from the Drôme, Gard and Hérault departments, some 200 tabor players gather on Cours Mirabeau simply for the pleasure of playing together, virtuoso players and beginners alike.
This unusual event helps keep alive the “tambourin” (drum), the long Provencal tabor often being associated with the “galoubet” (tabor pipe). This pair of instruments dates back to the Middle Ages under the name “flûte-tambour” (pipe and drum). It remains alive all over Europe, above all at the popular level. The practice is both folkloric and classical. It appears in traditional events as well as in ensembles of old, baroque, current and modern music styles.
The 2017 festival takes the public to various places in the town: Rousset church, Venelles function room, Campra auditorium, Darius Milhaud academy of music or even Tholonet market square. Notably, in Espace Cézanne at the Rotonde, Sébastien Bourrelly, professor of pipe and tabor at Aix academy of music, will direct several music ensembles.