Cornemuseux (m)
(with) definite article: leMentioned by George Sand in »Les maîtres sonneurs«" (Paris, 1857), in which she treats the identical form (oddly, without distinction, or any explanation!) also as a plural term; This practice is also used by Chassaing, who describes an engraving by Horace Vernet (1789-1863), entitled "Scène d'Auvergne en 1815", in which is depicted "un cornemuseux" [i.e. "a piper" (➺ p.38)], but repeatedly also refers to (e.g.) "... les / des cornemuseux" ([the] pipers; ➺ p.44, &c.); NB¹: According to Eric Montbel, the term could be a popular, perhaps rather recent, creation used to refer, somewhat pejoratively, to a bagpipe player; NB²: Similar terms encountered are vielleux (hurdy-gurdy player(s)) and violoneux (violin player(s)).
Chassaing, Jean-François: La tradition de cornemuse en Basse-Auvergne et Sud-Bourbonnais [Thèse de doctorat, ethnologie 3e cycle, Univ. Lyon 2, 1981]. Moulins, 1983 (© 1982), p.38, 108, 127, &c. (singular [69 references]); NB: ➺ p.44, 109, 117, &c. (plural [30 references]).
Heintzen, Jean-François (dit «Maxou»): A la recherche de monsieur Marsillat: vie et mœurs des cornemuseux en Centre-France au XIXe siècle = In search of Marsillat: the life and customs of the bagpipe players of central France in the 19th century. In: Les cornemuses de George Sand: autour de Jean Sautivet… (1996), p.22, 24, 26, 27 [3x].
Sand, George: Les maîtres sonneurs (Paris, 1853). Texte établi, avec introduction, notes et choix de variantes par Pierre Salomon et Jean Mallion. Paris, 1958, passim [18x].
Ricros, André (et al.): La cabrette: histoire & technique d'une cornemuse. s.l. [Riom], 2017: cornemuseux (p.120, 696, [697]); NB³: ➺ vielleux (p.[706], [712], [734], [740], 7658); violoneux (p.696, [723]).
WS: ➺ Cornemuseux (A systematic survey of occurences of the term in Sand and Chassaing).