Traditional Mallorcan music is unthinkable without the Xeremia (a bagpipe). Go to any village festa and you will hear them, together with small drums, flutes and tambours. The Mallorcan bagpipe is most likely a variation of an Islamic instrument, brought by the Moors a very long time ago. The bagpipes are very much in use on a regular basis, and are mostly played by young bearded men. As much as Mallorca is a location with a rich tradition of musical schooling for both, males and females, I have only seen one female playing a Xeremia in over twenty years.

The Xeremia player is called the Xeremier who will come in a formation with a small flabiol flautin and a compact tamboril drum, to be played by one and the same player.

The photo was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Felanitx, Mallorca, Spain. The date: October 13th, 2007. The time was 12:34:57.