The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-02-09
ORIGIN OF BAGPIPES
IT is FOUND IN THE ANCIENT REED,
OR SHEPHERDS PIPE.

In Early Times There Were Many
! Different Kinds of Bsgpipes In Use
/ In Europe-The Highland, Lowland
and Irish Varieties.
! According 10 the encyclopedia, the bag.
pipe Is Il wind instrument the fixed char.
acteristic OF which has always been
two OF more reed pipes attached 10 and
sounded by wind chest, or bag, which
bag has ia turn been supplied either by
the lungs Of the performer or by bel
lows. The Orgi-~ instrument was pre-
sumably the simple reed. or shepherds
pipe, which was well known 70 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 a bag attach
ed 10 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 Oh 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 lowlmd bagpipe Of Scotland
(Which closely resembled the Northum-
BRIAN and the Irish bagpipe.
In the great highland bagpipe, which
originally had but one drone, a Waived
tube leads from the mouth To an air
tight bag, which has four other olifces,
three large enough to contain the base
Of three fixed long tubes. termed drones
and another smaller. 10 which is fitted
the chanter. The three are thrown on
the shoulder, while the latter Is held in
the hands All four pipes are filed
with reeds, but Of different kinds. The
drones are tuned 10y means of sliders,
or movable joints, and this tuning or
preparation for playing, which general
ly occupies a few minutes Of the pipers
time before he begins the tune proper
is heard with impatience by those not
accustomed TO the instrument. Indeed,
il gave rise 20 the saying. applied in
Scotland 10 those who waste time over
small matters, You are longer in tun-
ing your pipes than in playing your
tune"
The Scottish lownnd bagppc, like
the Northumbrian pipe, was in two
forms. one consisting Of n smaller and
milder toned edition of the highland in
strument and the other n miniature OF
this and having the same relation to 1t
as the fife has to n German band. It's
great drawback, from the point Of view
of the devoteeS OF the highland bagpipe,
is that il is unsutcd 10 perform what
they consider the perfection Of .Dipe mu-
sic-the pibroch. These small pipes
We're, however. gentler than the high
land, having the same tone. but less
SOnorOuS u was to the strains OF such
q bagpipe that Chaucer tells us the com
pany of pilgrims left London, and ii is
the same instrument that is alluded to
in Shakespeare rs the Lincolnshire bag
pipe
The Irish bagpipe is the instrument in
its most elaborate form and is supplied
with wind by n 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 n harmonious bass which
Is very effective i'm the hands of a good
player The Irish instrument is fast
dying out.
The bagpipe. though at one time fair
ly common, never obtained a firm hold
in England. II lost favor and gradual
~ deteriorated until it is now practi-
Cally extinct. The average English
man neither appreciates nor under
stands IT, \ famous poet irreverently
once compared its notes TO the shrill
Screech of lame goose caught in
corn" while another hereto writer lik-
ems its sound To Il horrible. noisy. mad
lrishman" or TO the cries of the "eter-
nally tormented." To the Irish people
it 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
hhuOublttllN liloIt tloSti! dSSpIldltu
with Scotland. both In the highlands
and lowlands. than with any other
country the particular instrument in
use being the great highland bagpipe.
which. as already explained consists
of three droncS. including the big
droue. which was added about the be-
ginning Of the last century. II 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 ii
is in Scotland that il has been brought
to the highest degree of perfection. Its
music distinctly connects il with Scot
land. rs 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