The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1906-07-31

Accor0lnr to tle encyclopedia The hog
pine Is wind instrument the fxed char
acteristlc 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 |
the lungs Of the performer or by bel
lows The original instrument was pre-
sumably the simple reed, or shepherds |
pipe. which was well known to the |
Egyptians. Greeks and 10.
mans But the strain of blowing these |
ancient pipes was 50 great that some
genius conceived the idea Of having a
reserve supply OF wind IN bag attach
ed to the pipes, and hence the bagpipe.
The first real Instrument is believed TO
have been a skin of a 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. At
one time there were five different kinds
known on the continent, some inflated
by the mouth and others by bellows.
while III 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 bagpipe.
In the great highland bagplpe, which
originally had but one drone, a Waived
tube leads from the mouth to an air
tight bag. which has four other orifices,
three large enough to contain the base
Of three fixed long tubes, termed drones,
and another smaller, to which is fitted
the chanter. The three are thrown on
the shoulder. while the latter is held in
the hands. All four pipes are filled
with reeds, but Of different kinds. The
irones are tuned by means Of sllders,
or movable joints, and this tuning or
preparation for playing. which general
ly occupies few minutes of the piper's
time before he begins the tune proper,
is heard with impatience by those not
accustomed to the instrument. Indeed,
1t gave rise to the saying. applied In
Scotland to those who waste time over
small matters, "You are longer In tun-
ing your pipes than In playing your
tune"
The Scottish lowland bagpipe, like
the Northumbrlan pipe. was in two
forms, one consisting Of a smaller and
milder toned edition Of the highland in
strument and the other a miniature OF
this and having the same relation TO II
as the fife has to German band. Its
great drawback, from the point of view
of the devotees of the highland bagpipe.
is that it is unsuited to perform what
they consider the perfection of pipe mu-
sic-the pibroch. These small pipes
were, however. gentler than the high
! land, having the same tone. but less
sonorous. II was to the strains OF such
1agpipe that Chaucer tells us the com.
pany of pilgrims left London, and It Is
the same instrument that is alluded to
in Shakespeare as the Lincolnshire bag
pipe.
The Irish bagpipe is the instrument In
| it's most elaborate form and is supplied
with wind by a bellows. The drones
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 melodious
and there is a harmonious bass which
is very effective in the hands of a good
player. The Irish instrument is fast
dying out.
The bagpIpe, though at one time fair
ly common, never obtained firm hold
in England. II lost favor and gradual.
! ly deteriorated until 1t is now practi
cally extinct. The average English
man neither appreciates nor under
stands 1t A famous poet irreverently
once compared its notes to "the shril
screech of a lame goose caught IN
corn" while another hereto writer lik
, ems its sound. to horrible, noisy, mac
Irishman" or TO the cries Of the ''eter
nally tormented." To the Irish people
IL appeals more strongly. They still
possess in a degree the feeling OF at
tachment 10 the bagpipe which Is 81
general among ScOtsmen. But IL u
undoubtedly more closely ASSOCIATED
with Scotland, both in the highland
and lowlands, than with any othe
country, the particular instrument II
use being the great highland bsgpipe
| which, as already explained, consist
OF three drones, including the bii
, drone. which was added about the be
ginning Of the last century. II is thi
D type which has gradually supersede'
: the lOwland pipe. There is no doub
4 that the bagpipe was in use in Scot
: land from Il very early period, and
~ in Scotland that il has been brough
= 20 tile highest degree Of perfection. II
E music distinctly connects il with S0i
land. as is clear in the pibroch, IN
strathspey, the reel the march an
other popular melodies There ar
proofs that the instrument was cult
waited in Scotland certainly in tn
twelfth century and Of its universe
] popularity as early rs the fifteenth cer
try. while in thc seventeenth centur
nearly every town in the highlands an
8 lowlands boasted Of its piper.-Londo
, Globe.
f, THE TEXAS WONDER.