Les maîtres sonneurs

by George Sand

"Les maîtres sonneurs" by George Sand is a historical novel published in 1853. Set in the Berry and Bourbonnais regions of France during the late eighteenth century, it follows the lives of bagpipe players, known as "cornemuseux." The narrator Tiennet recounts his life alongside his cousin Brulette and their friend Joseph, who encounters master bagpipers from Bourbonnais and learns their musical craft. Told across thirty-two evening tales, the novel captures a vanishing world of rural musicians and their traditions.