The Bagpipe is one of the most ancient instruments in the world, its
history spans back to the beginnings of civilization. Contrary to
some people's belief, the Bagpipes were not first heard in Scotland.
No one knows for certain where the history of the Bagpipe began. It
is thought that the first Pipe came from ancient Egypt, which had
just a single drone and a chanter. It is inconclusive when the pipes were first on Scottish shores. In
some format, they were played at Bannockburn in 1314 to urge the
clans to victory, but not in the form we know them today. It is
probable that a single drone was used up until the 1500’s when a
second drone was added, and then the third drone appeared around the
1700’s, giving us the bagpipe as we know them today. The first
written reference of the Great Pipes is in 1623, a piper from Perth
was prosecuted for playing on the Sabbath. There is a painting
dating back to 1733 of the Laird of Grant’s Piper. Various towns
throughout Scotland hired Bagpipers to play. In 1486 Edinburgh had a
band consisting of three pipers, any household who declined to
billet these “City Musicians” in rotation was liable to be fined
nine pence in accordance with a town council decree.
The Highlanders were the ones to develop the Pipes into the
instrument it is now and to make it the National instrument of
Scotland in peace and war. All the chiefs of the Highland Clans
employed pipers. They were considered a very important part of their
establishments. The music of the Pipes spurred the troops on to many
a victory. They were used in many great battles.
The playing of the Bagpipe was banned in Scotland after the
uprising of 1745. They were classified as an instrument of war by
the Loyalist government. They were kept alive in secret. Anyone
caught carrying pipes were punished, the same as any man that bore
arms for Bonnie Prince Charlie. In 1746, in York, James Reid, a
piper who bore no arms against the English king was tried for
treason. The court came to the conclusion "no highland regiment ever
marched without a piper and therefore his bagpipes in the eyes of
the law, was an instrument of warfare" He suffered death on the 6th
November 1746.
After the ban was lifted, Highland Bagpipe playing really began to
emerge. They became very popular with Scottish soldiers who carried
the instrument the world over making the sound of the instrument
more popular and encouraging others to learn. This has helped the
sound of the pipes to survive and to ensure that wherever you travel
in the world, where there is a Scottish presence, you can be sure to
hear the sound of the great Highland Bagpipes.
