Scottish Bagpipes
A brief History
Like modern attitudes towards ceremony and celebration it is likely that music played an important part in Scotland's prehistoric society and pipes may have been used as instruments to evoke atmosphere. In the ancient world shepherds played pipes here as they were played elsewhere. Amusing speculations suggest that Agricola's Roman legions in AD 84 introduced pipes to Scotland by deploying them to confront Caledonii tribesmen led by Calgacus at the battle of Mons Graupius. Whatever, it's not until medieval times that actual documentary evidence of piping in Scotland appears on the historical record.
The bagpipe was popular in Asia and Europe and there are also allusions to it in the Scottish Lowlands as well as in England. Writing in the 12th century, Gerald of Wales stated that the Highlander played on the 'clarsach (harp)' and the 'tympanum' and the 'chorus,' the latter probably a droneless bagpipe with chanter and a simple blow stick. The chanter is the ancient foundation of the bagpipe with drones only added in the 13th-14th centuries to provide a steady harmonic, but it is only relatively recently in the 19th century that pipes like the great Highland bagpipe with its three drones adopted their familiar form.
The Islands and Highlands during the period 12th-16th century were ruled by the Lords of the Isles, who leaned towards Celtic/ Nordic traditions rather than the feudalism of an Anglo/ Norman court. Musicians such as harper or piper were traditional officers at the Lordships court, and it was customary for a member of such a family; like (harp) Mac o'Senog of Kintyre, or (pipes) MacArthur of Islay, to hold a grant of land in virtue of their hereditary office. The Scottish court readily adopted many of the Celtic customs and the importance of pipes can be seen in their records. In the 14th century pipers were in the pay of King David II, Robert the Bruce's son, and in the 15th century King James I of Scotland (1394-1437) was considered a piper of ability. Later in James IV's reign (1488-1513) there is evidence of patronage for pipers and minstrels.
Early Scottish music history belongs to the Clarsach which among other things was used to accompany bardic recitations; such as inciting warriors to battle. It's not surprising that mobility of pipes and their stirring volume brought about a change in the preferred instrument of chieftains and clan during the 16-17th century period of clan development. References to bagpipes and pipers mostly belong to this period when a change in Highland warfare brought about a change of battle instrument. Stimulating and rallying large bodies of clansmen required a strong sound capable of rousing an army and spreading terror into the enemy. Thus the clarsach declined in favour of bagpipe and a new type of music and style of composition, Piobaireachd (Pibroch).
Pipers
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Donald Mor MacCrimmon
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Patrick Mor MacCrimmon
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Martyn Bennett
- Gordon Duncan
- Freddie Morrison
- Bruce MacGregor
- Gordon Walker
- Iain MacDonald
- Hamish Moore
- Rory Campbell
- Angus MacColl
- Iain Morrison
- Simon McKerrill
- Bruce Gandy
- Willie McCallum
- Dougie Pincock
- PM Brian Donaldson
- Ian McFadzen
- Hugh Cheape
- Jim Motherwell
- Alisdair Gillies
- Jack Lee
- Donald Ban MacCrimmon
- Donald MacPherson
- PM Donald MacLeod
- Chris Armstrong
- Stuart Liddell
- Annie Grace
- Mary MacGregor
- Norman MacLean
- Angus MacKenzie
- Roddy MacLeod
- Gary West
- Calum Piobair
Pipe Bands
- Shotts & Dykehead
- Royal Scots Dragoon Guards
- 78th Fraser Highlanders
- Black Watch
- Scottish Power
- Gordon Highlanders
- Kirkwall City
- Drambuie Kirkliston
- Red Hackle
- Johnstone
- Edinburgh City
- National Youth
Many of the tunes seem to be older than the classical period of Piobaireachd but it is generally accepted that this form of musical composition appeared in the 16th century and has been adhered to ever since. This Highland music that seemed to emerge suddenly in the late 16th and early 17th century was fostered by some leading families, notably the MacLeods of Dunvegan, Skye. Masters of Piobaireachd were their hereditary pipers the MacCrimmons, who founded a famous piping school at Boreraig in Vaternish, Skye in the 16th century that schooled a dynasty of great pipers such as Donald Mor MacCrimmon, circa 1570 and Patrick Mor MacCrimmon, circa 1595.
Ceol Mor meaning great music is a term for Piobaireachd. Although individual tunes are very different from one another they conform to rules of composition and follow a definite plan. Over 300 tunes survive that are still performed, consisting of marches and battle-tunes, gatherings, salutes and laments mostly belonging to the period 1600 -1760. The old schools of piping used a syllabic notation to preserve their music and to pass it on to their pupils. This was known as 'Canntaireachd' and it has generally been consistently used by those acquainted with it. In canntaireachd the melody notes are represented by vowels having a specific pitch meaning, and consonants for the grace notes. Pipe teaching could be done entirely by canntaireachd and most pipers still use a loose form to describe the notes of their music or to sing the tunes. The tradition of singing canntaireachd survives in Gaelic, particularly with Ceol Beg or light music.
- Robert Meller
- Angus MacKay
- John Ban MacKenzie
- Calum Beaton
- George S MacLennan
- Hugh MacCallum
- Angus J MacLellan
- Steven Small
- Stuart Cassells
- Ross McCrindle
- John MacLellan
- Angus MacDonald
- Alex Green
- PM John MacLeod
- Iain Speirs
- Murray Henderson
- PM Gordon MacKenzie
- Margaret Houlihan
- Carol Anne Kennedy
- Ali Hutton
- Allan McDonald
- Field Marshall Montgomery
- Clann An Drumma
- Boghall & Bathgate
- Strathclyde Police
- Vale of Atholl
Bagpipes had been documented as instruments of war since the 16th century and following the battle of Culloden in 1746 the Hanovarians considerd that Highland pipers were guilty of association with Jacobites and consequently seriously punished. One example being James Reid, a Jacobite prisoner at Carlisle in 1746, who pleaded that as a piper he was not an active combatant, he was condemned because no Highland regiment marched without a piper and therefore in the eyes of the law bagpipes were instruments of war.
Since then the bagpipes have had strong military associations in the British Army where the office of Pipe Major is a position of honour. It was the pipers duty to stand on the battlefield playing stirring tunes to rouse his comrades out of trenches and into battle. The effect on troops who were often cold, frightened and demoralised was nothing short of miraculous. Their great value in action is recognised by whole battalions but not surprisingly, pipers were easy targets and often the first to fall. In the first two years of World War 1 the Gordon Highlanders lost nearly 30 pipers and many more were wounded or taken prisoner. Over 1,000 pipers fell during WW1 and it is impossible to understand the fear these men must have faced as they picked up their pipes knowing that they were the easiest targets. Yet these very brave men fought that fear and did what was expected of them in hazardous wartime job.
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