Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-02-04
ORIGIN OF BAGPIPES
il is FOUND In The ANCIENT REED.
OR SHEPHERDS PIPE.

Inherent Kinds of SEEpipez Ia Uas
ia Eur0pe-The Highland; Lorrlsad
and Irish Varieties.
According to the encyclopedia, the bag.
pipe is wind instrument the fixed char.
acteristic OF which has always been
TWO or more reed pipes attached to and
sounded by wind chest. OF bag, which
Dag 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 we'll 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 q
reserve supply Of wind In bag attach
ed 10 the pipes. and hence the bagpipe.
The first real instrument Is believed to
nave been skin of q goat OF kid, with
two pipes. through one of which the
bag was inflated. the other emitting the
sound
In early times tine 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 lowland bagpipe of Scotland
(Which closely resembled the Northum-
brianj ana the Irish bagDipe.
In the great highland bagpipe, which
originally had but one drone. Waived
tube leads from the mouth to an air
tight bag. which has four other oriflces,
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
orones are tuned by means of sliders,
or movable joints. and this tuning OIL
preparation for playing, which general
iy occupies few minutes of the piper's
time before he begins the tune proper.
Is heard with Impotence 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 I'm playing your
tune"
The Scottish lowland bagbipe like
the Northumbrlan pipe. was In two
forms, one consisting Of q smaller and
milder toned edition of the highland In.
strument and the other miniature OF
this and having the same relation to It
as the fife has to German band It's
great drawback, from the point Of view
OF the devotees of the highland bagpipe.
Is that Ii is unsu!ted 10 perform what
they consider the perfection of pipe mu-
sic-the pibroch. These small pipes
were, however. gentlcr than the high
land, having the same tone, but less
sonorous. 1t was to the strains Of such
bagpipe that Chaucer tells us the com.
pany of pilgrims left London and it is
the same instrument that Is alluded Is
la Shakespeare as The Lincolnshire bag
pipe.
The Irish bagpipe is the instrument III
its most elaborate form and Is supplied
with wind by bellows The dronei
are ali fixed OIL one stock and have
keys which are played by the wrist Of
the right hand Tile reeds are soft and
the tones very sweet and melodious,
and there Is harmonious bass which
Is very effective In the hands Of good
player. The Irish instrument Is fast
dying out. te,e
The bagpipe. though at one time fair
ly common. never obtained firm hold
in England. 1t lost favor and gradual.
" deteriorated until it is now practi
cally extinct. The average English
man neither appreciates nor under
stands II. A famous poet irreverently
once compared its notes to the shrili
screech OF lame goose caught in
corn" while another hereto writer lik
ems its SOUND to horrible, noisy. mad
lrishnan" OF to the cries of the "eter-
nally tormented." To the Irish people
II appeals more strongly. They still
possess In degree the feeling of at
tachment to the bagpipe which is SO
general among Scotsmen. But IT is
undoubtedly more closely associated
with Scotland. both In the highlands
and lowiunds. than with any other
country, the particular instrument Ia
use being the great highland bagpipe,
which. as already explained, consists
OF three drones, including the big
d:one, 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 n very early period, and II
Is IN Scotland that 1t has been brought
to the highest degree of perfection. Its
music distinctly connects it with Scot.
land. rs is clear in the pibroch, the
strathspey. the reel, the march and
ether popular melodies There are
proofs that the instrument was culti.