Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1906-02-21
ORIGIN OF BAGPIPEs
III IS FOUND IN THE ANCIENT REED,
OR SHEPHERDS PIPE.


In Early Times There Were MANY
Different Kind. OF B.Gpip~. n, Ia.
I'm Europe-rh~ Highland. Loviana
and Irish vs-tztfe..
According to the encyclopedia. the ba e.
pipe Is a wind instrument the fixed char.
acterlstic OF which has always been
two or more reed pipes attached to and
sounded by wind chest. or bag. which
bag has In turn been supplied either By
sne lungs OF the performer or by n bel.
lows The original instrument was pre-
sumably the simple reed. or shepherds
pipe. which was well known to the
Trojans. Egyptians. Greeks and Ro-
mans But the strain OF blowing these
ancient pipes was so great that some
genius conceived the idea OF having A
reserve supply OF wind In n bag attach.
ed TO the pipes, and hence the bagpipe.
The FIRST real instrument Is believed TO
have been a skin OF goat or kid, with
two pipes, through one OF which the
bag was inflated. the other emitting the
sound
In early times the bagpipe was com.
mon In Great Britain and abroad. Al
one time there were Eve different kinds
known on the continent, some inflated
by the mouth and others by bellows,
while In the British isles three kinds
were known-the great highland bag.
pipe. the lowland bagpipe OF Scotland
(Which closely resembled the Northum.
brian) and the Irish bagplpe.
In the great highland bagpipe, which
originally had but one drone. IA Waived
tube leads from the mouth to an air
tight bag. which has four other orifices.
three large enough 10 contain the base
OF three flxed long tubes. termed drones,
and another smaller. to which IL fitted
the chanter. The three are thrown on
the shoulder. while the latter IL held IN
the hands. All four pipes are filled
with reeds. but OF different kinds. The
drones are tuned by means OF sliders.
or movable joints. and this tuning or
preparation for playing. which general
ly occupies a few minutes Of tie plper's
time before he begins the tune proper.
Is heard with Impotence by those not
accustomed TO the instrument. Indeed.
II gave rise 20 the saying. applied In
Scotland 20 those who waste time over
small matters. You are longer in tun-
ing your pipes than I'm playing your
tune"
The Scottish lowland bagpipe. like
the Northumbrlan pipe. was in two
forms, one consisting OF n smaller and
clilder toned edition OF the highland In
strSment and the other n miniature Of
this and having the same relation TO Il
as the fife has 10 n German band. It's
great drawback. from the point OF view
OF the devotees OF the highland bagpipe.
Is that II Is unsuited TO perform what
they consider the perfection of pipe mu-
sic-the pib-och. These small pipes
were. however. gentler than the high
land, having the same tone. but less
sonorous. II was 10 the strains OF such
bagpipe that Chaucer tells us the com
pany OF pilgrims left London. and II Is
the same instrument that Is alluded to
IN Shakespeare as the Lincolnshire bag
pipe.
Tho Irish bagpipe is the instrument In
Its most elaborate form and Is supplied
are all fixed on one stock and have
keys which are played by the wrist Of
the right hand. The reeds are soft and
the tones very sweet and melodlous,
and there is n harmonious bass which
Is very effective in the hands Of a good
player. The Irish instrument Is fast
dying out.
Tho hao,,ino sbo,,,-h o+ ono tfr,o fotr
ly common. never obtained n firm hold
In England. II lost favor and gradual
ly deteriorated until II Is now practi-
cally extinct. The average English
man neither appreciates nor under
stands il. A famous poet irreverenty
once compared its notes TO the shrll
screech OF n lame goose caught IN
corn" while another hereto writer Tx
ems its sound 10 horrible. noisy. mad
Irishman" or 10 the cries OF the "eter-
nnlly tormented." To the Irish people
IL appeals more strongly. They still
possess in n degree the feeling of at
tachment TO the bagpipe which is so
general among Scotsmen. But IL is
undoubtedly more closely associated
NA1A oSOAAaAOs hOsAl III NA0
and lowlands, than with any other
country. the particular instrument In
use being the great highland bagpipe.
which. as already explained, consists
OF three drones. including the big
drone, which was added about the be-
ginning OF the last century. 1t Is this
type which has gradually superseded
the lowland pipe. There is no doubt
that the bagpipe was in use in Scot
land from a very early period. and It
is In Scotland that II has been brought
to the highest degree OF perfection. Its
music distinctly connects II with Scot
land. as Is clear in the pibroch, the
strathspey, the reel, the march and
other popular melodies. There are
proofs that the instrument was cult
waited In Scotland certainly In the
twelfth century and of its universal
popularity as early as the fifteenth cen
fury, while In the seventeenth century
nearly every town in the highlands and
lowlands boasted OF its piper.-London
Globe