I t s interesting to hear how the film s arranger adapted certain sounds to imitate Scottish music without using the actual instruments in some places. Lower strings in the orchestra often held long chords, acting as the droning pipes, while vocalists sang non-syllabic pitches with no text to imitate the high melody line of the pipes. I n Braveheart, this traditional music is illustrated in many scenes, particularly those depicting such ceremonies as weddings and funerals. This usage produced a pure depiction of the Scottish heritage. A village wedding ceremony is accompanied by common music, using instruments such as the harp, flute and drums.
Scottish dance is another tradition passed down through generations.
The wedding celebration was complete with village musicians and traditional dances. D rums are also fundamental in battle scenes. Whether the Scottish employed actual drummers in battle, as is recorded in such battles as the Civil War in America, has not been confirmed. However, the arrangers of the film deemed it necessary to illustrate the intensity of the battles with fierce percussion, played on what sound like crude, handmade drums. Wallace s father is killed in battle and is buried, members of the village perform an old funeral ritual of playing traditional Scottish hymns by night, although the daylight burial was performed by an Anglican priest reciting Latin prayer, in the fashion of the English.