Bagpipes
Bagpipes are a class of
musical instrument,
aerophones using enclosed
reeds. The term is equally correct in the singular or plural,
although pipers most commonly talk of "pipes" and "the bagpipe."
The most common method of supplying air to the bag is by a
blowpipe, or blowstick, into which the player blows. The blowpipe
can be fitted with a non-return valve, or the player can close the tip
of the blowpipe with his tongue while inhaling.
A more recent innovation, dating from the
16th or
17th centuries, is the use of a
bellows
to supply air. This has the advantage that the supplied air has not
been heated and moistened by the player's breathing. Bagpipes using
bellows can therefore use more refined and/or delicate reeds.
The possibility of using an artificial air supply, such as an air
compressor, is one occasionally discussed by pipers but although
experiments have been made in this direction, widespread adoption
seems unlikely.
Bag
The bag is simply an airtight (or near airtight) reservoir which
can hold air and regulate its flow while the player breathes or pumps
with a bellows, enabling the player to maintain continuous sound for
some time. Materials used for bags vary widely, but the most common
are the skins of local animals such as
goats,
sheep,
cows, and
pigs. More
recently, pipers have experimented with materials such as
rubber,
Gore-Tex, and other airtight fabrics. Gore-Tex bags have become
especially popular, especially with the development of Gore-Tex
Leather bags that combine the durability and convenience of the
synthetic material with the look and feel of traditional skin bags.
Bags cut from larger materials are usually saddle-stitched with an
extra strip is folded over the seam and stitched (for skin bags) or
glued (for synthetic bags) to reduce leaks. Holes are cut to
accommodate the stocks. These bags are often fitted with rubber
collars in which to insert the stocks, which can result in a better,
tighter fit and less chance of damaging the bag while attaching the
stocks. In the case of bags made from largely-intact animal skins the
stocks are typically tied into the points where limbs and the head
joined the body of the living animal, a construction technique common
in Central and Eastern Europe.
A major innovation in bag design since the 1990s is the addition of
moisture control systems to bags for mouth-blown pipes that keep
moisture from the piper’s breath from condensing on the pipes, drones,
and reeds, a situation that can lead to decay and other problems. Bags
with zippers can be fitted with moisture control cartridge systems
attached to the drone stocks to remove moisture as air passes through
bentonite clay particles. Corrugated tube traps attached to
blowstick stocks also aid in moisture control. These types of systems
require bags with zippers.
Chanter
The chanter is the
melody
pipe, played by one or both hands. A chanter can be bored internally
so that the inside walls are parallel for its full length, or it can
be bored in the shape of a cone. Additionally, the reed can be a
single or a double reed. Single-reeded chanters are parallel-bored;
however, both conical- and parallel-bored chanters operate with double
reeds, and double reeds are, by far, the more common.
The chanter is usually open-ended; thus, there is no easy way for
the player to stop the pipe from sounding. This means that most
bagpipes share a
legato
sound where there are no rests in the music. Primarily because of this
inability to stop playing, embellishments or
grace notes (which vary between types of bagpipe) are used to
break up notes and to create the illusion of dynamic effect. Because
of their importance, these embellishments (or ornaments) are
often highly technical systems specific to each bagpipe, and take much
study to master.
A few bagpipes (the
musette de cour, the
uilleann pipes, and the
Northumbrian smallpipe) have closed ends or stop the end on the
player's leg, so that when the player covers all the holes (known as
closing the chanter) it becomes silent. This allows for staccato
playing on these instruments, although even where the chanter can be
silenced, complex embellishment systems often exist.
Although the majority of chanters are unkeyed, some make extensive
use of keys to extend the range and/or the number of
accidentals the chanter can play. It is possible to produce
chanters with two bores and two holes for each note. The double
chanters have a full loud sound comparable to the "wet" sound produced
by an
accordion.
An unusual kind of chanter is the regulator of the uilleann pipes.
This chanter is in addition to the main melody chanter and plays a
limited number of notes, operated by keys. It is fitted in the stock
for the drones and is played with the wrist, allowing the player to
produce a limited but effective chordal accompaniment.
A final variant of the chanter is the two-piped chanter
(confusingly also usually called a double chanter). Two separate
chanters are designed to be played, one with each hand. When they are
played, one chanter may provide a drone accompaniment to the other, or
the two chanters may play in a harmony of thirds and sixths (as in the
southern Italian
zampogna), or the two chanters may be played in unison (as in
most Arabic bagpipes).
Because of the accompanying drone, the lack of modulation in
bagpipe melody, and stable timbre of the reed sound, in many bagpipe
traditions the tones of the chanter are appropriately tuned using
just intonation.
Drone
Most bagpipes have at least one drone. A drone is most commonly a
cylindrical tube with a single reed, although drones with double reeds
do exist. The drone is generally designed in two or more parts, with a
sliding joint so that the pitch of the drone can be manipulated.
Drones are traditionally made of wood, often a local hardwood, but
also (particularly nowadays) from tropical hardwoods, such as
rosewood, ebony, or African Blackwood. Some drones have a tuning bead,
which effectively alters the length of the drone by opening a hole,
allowing the drone to be tuned to two or more distinct pitches. The
tuning bead may also shut off the drone altogether. In general, where
there is one drone it is pitched two octaves below the tonic of the
chanter, and further additions often add the octave below and then a
drone consonant with the fifth of the chanter. This is, however, a
very approximate rule of thumb.
History
There are dozens of types of bagpipes, each with a unique design,
sound, and repertoire. Each has its own history: here we present an
overview. Other articles have more information on the history of
different
types of bagpipes.
Ancient
origins
Although the early history of the bagpipe is still unclear, it
seems likely that the instrument was first developed in pre-Christian
times in the area that is now known as
Iran.[citation
needed] It seems likely it was developed from an
instrument similar to a
hornpipe or
shawm
and coexisted with them. Indeed in several different piping traditions
today the bagpipe is played alongside a shawm-like instrument, in
Brittany,
Italy,
Catalonia, and
Istria.
Where or when a bag was first attached to one of these instruments is
likely to remain a mystery. However, although the
Aramaic word sum·pon·yah´ (סומפניה), appearing in Daniel 3:5, 10,
and 15, has been translated "dulcimer" (a stringed instrument) and
"symphony", modern Bible translations generally render the expression
as "bagpipe." Koehler and Baumgartner's Lexicon in Veteris
Testamenti Libros gives the meaning "bagpipe" (Leiden 1958, p.
1103). The earliest secular reference to a bagpipe occurs around 400
BC, when
Aristophones, the Athenian poet jibed that the pipers of Thebes
(an enemy of Athens) blew pipes made of dogskin with chanters made of
bone. Several hundred years later,
Suetonius described the Roman Emperor
Nero as a
player of the tibia utricularis in
Lives of the Twelve Caesars. Nero is reported to have said he
would play the bagpipe in public as a penance for not winning a poetry
contest.[citation
needed]
Dio Chrysostom who also flourished in the first century, wrote in
Orationes about a contemporary sovereign, probably Nero, who
could play a pipe ("aulein") with his mouth as well as with his "arm
pit". From this account, it has been deduced that a true bagpipe was
used- having a blowpipe, bag and a chanter (probably a double chanter
since double pipes were used at this time). A coin of Nero depicts a
bagpipe, according to the 1927 edition of
Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.
An early mention for a use of bagpipes in written history can be
found in the 1st-century epic Punica of
Silius Italicus on the
First Punic War:
- Fibrarum et pennae divinarumque sagacem
- flammarum misit dives Callaecia pubem,
- barbara nunc patriis ululantem carmina linguis,
- nunc pedis alterno percussa verbere terra,
- ad numerum resonas gaudentem plauder caetras. (book
III.344-7)
- "Rich Gallaecia sent its youths, wise in the knowledge of
divination by the entrails of beasts, by feathers and flames— who,
now crying out the
barbarian song of their native tongue, now alternately stamping
the ground in their rhythmic dances until the ground rang, and
accompanying the playing with sonorous caetras" (or
gaethas, bagpipes).
Spread
and development
The
Dark Ages have left us practically nothing regarding bagpipes or
their position in societies. Prior to the 12th century, only a few
Pictish
and Irish stone carvings record the continued existence of bagpipes
during this time.
When they were first introduced to the
British Isles is debatable. Findings of statuettes of bagpipers in
Roman era archaeological digs in England could indicate a diffusion of
the bag technology from that vector. Ireland has references going back
at least to the Middle Ages, as well as the stone carvings previously
mentioned which date back to the 8th century. An explosion of
popularity seems to have occurred from around the 12th century; the
tune used by
Robert Burns for "Scots
Wha Hae", "Hey Tutti Taiti", is traditionally said to have been
the tune played as
Robert the Bruce's troops marched to the
Battle of Bannockburn in
1314.
During the 12th century, Europe underwent a flourishing of art and
culture as her horizons were being expanded with the crusades. The
bagpipes were no exception, and many of Europe's unique bagpipes began
to develop around this time.
Actual examples of bagpipes from before the 18th century are
extremely rare; however, a substantial number of paintings, carvings,
engravings, manuscript illuminations, and so on survive. They make it
clear that bagpipes varied hugely from set to set. It seems likely
that bagpipe makers at that time would have mostly been primarily
woodworkers with an incomplete grasp of the art of pipemaking.
The role of the bagpipe would have varied naturally from place to
place, but in
Bulgaria it was said, "A wedding without a bagpipe is like a
funeral," and in Britain they were a common adjunct to religious
festivals. In Britain, pipers became part of the travelling
minstrel class, acting as carriers of news, gossip and music
around the country. In the
Scottish Highlands, the pipers started to displace the
harpers,
the chief Celtic musicians since Roman times, round about the 16th
century. In 1760, the first serious study of the Highland bagpipe and
its music was attempted, in Joseph MacDonald's 'Compleat Theory'.
Further south, we have a manuscript from the 1730's by a William Dixon
from
Northumberland. This contains music which fits the
Border pipes, a nine-note bellows-blown bagpipe whose chanter is
similar to that of the modern
Great Highland Bagpipe; however the music is quite different,
consisting mostly of extended variation sets of common dance tunes.
Some of the tunes in the Dixon MS correspond to tunes found in early
19th century published and MS sources of
Northumbrian smallpipe tunes, notably the rare book by of 50
tunes, many with variations, by John Peacock. The Northumbrian sources
give a view of a separate and very distinct piping tradition from that
of the Great Highland Pipes.
As Western classical music developed, both in terms of musical
sophistication and instrumental technology, bagpipes in many regions
fell out of favour due to their limited range and function. This
triggered a long (but slow) decline which continued in many cases into
the 20th century.
Recent
history
With the growth of the British Empire, often spearheaded by
Highland regiments of the British Army, the Great Highland Bagpipe
was diffused and has become well-known world-wide. This surge in
popularity, boosted by the huge numbers of pipers trained for the two
World Wars in the 20th century, coincided with a decline in the
popularity of many traditional forms of bagpipe throughout Europe,
which began to be displaced by instruments from the classical
tradition and later by gramophone and radio.
In the modern era the use of bagpipes has become a common tradition
for military funerals and memorials in the
anglophone world, and they are often used at the funerals of
high-ranking civilian public officials as well. Weddings, dances and
parties are also venues for piping, in fact any social event, that can
be given a lift by the addition of this unique instrumental music.
In more recent years, often driven by revivals of native folk music
and dance, many types of bagpipes have resurged in popularity, and in
many cases instruments that were on the brink of extinction have
become extremely popular. In
Brittany, the concept of the
pipe band was adopted, the Great Highland Bagpipe was brought in
and the
bagad was created, a showcase ensemble for
Breton folk music. The pipe band idion has also been adopted in
Spain where various types of band are popular.
In English-speaking regions, a bagpipe player is known as a
"bagpiper" or "piper," and the
surname Piper derives from the latter term. Other European
surnames, such as Pfeiffer (German), Gaiteiro (Portuguese-Galician),
Gaiteru (Asturian), Gaitero (Spanish), Gajdar (Czech), Dudás
(Hungarian), Tsambounieris (Greek), Gaidarski (Bulgarian), Gaidar
(Russian), Duda, and Dudziak (Polish)[1]
may also signify that an ancestor was a player of the pipes.
In the late 20th century, various models of
electronic bagpipes have been invented. The first custom-built
MIDI
bagpipes were developed by the Asturian piper José Ángel Hevia Velasco
(generally known simply as
Hevia).[2]
Some models allow the player to select the sound of several different
bagpipes as well as switch keys. As yet they are not widely used due
to technical limitations, but they have found a useful niche as a
practice instrument (particularly with headphones).
The
Pitt Rivers Museum in England contains a collection of bagpipes
from around the world, and the Museo de la Gaita in
Gijón,
Asturias, Spain, founded in 1965, features bagpipes from around
the world.
Modern usage
Types of
bagpipes
-
Dozens of types of bagpipes today are widely spread across Europe
and the Middle East, as well as through much of the former
British Empire. The name bagpipe has almost become synonymous with
its best-known form, the
Great Highland Bagpipe related to the
Great Irish Warpipes, overshadowing the great number and variety
of traditional forms of bagpipe. Despite the decline of these other
types of pipes over the last few centuries, in recent years many of
these pipes have seen a resurgence or even revival as traditional
musicians have sought them out; for example, the
Irish piping tradition, which by the mid 20th century had declined
to a handful of master players is today alive, well, and flourishing.
A similar story can be told of the Galician,
Northumbrian,
Breton, and
Bulgarian
bagpipes, the
Scottish smallpipes and
Pastoral bagpipes, as well as other bagpipes.
Any estimate of the number of pipers playing today can only be a
wild guess. However, in the Great Highland Bagpipe world, there are
hundreds of
pipe bands registered with pipe band associations world wide,
mostly averaging ten or twelve pipers. There are many more pipers who
do not play with bands. Estimates for the number of GHB players
worldwide usually suggest a figure between ten and fifty thousand
players worldwide. Numbers for other types of bagpipe are much
smaller, but many have a substantial worldwide following, and there
are many types of bagpipe who have full time makers, teachers, and
professional players, supported by a large base of players.
Traditionally, one of the main purposes of the bagpipe in most
traditions was to provide music for dancing. In most countries this
has declined with the growth of professional dance bands, recordings,
and the decline of traditional dance. In turn, this has led to many
types of pipes developing a performance-led tradition, and indeed much
modern music based on the dance music tradition played on bagpipes is
no longer suitable for use as dance music.
Over the past thirty or so years, bagpipes have also made
appearances in other forms of music, including rock, jazz, and
classical music, notably with
Paul McCartney's "Mull
of Kintyre," the playing of
Rufus Harley, and the
Peter Maxwell Davies composition
An Orkney Wedding, With Sunrise.
The
future
Bagpipes today are probably as popular as they have ever been in
history; one Scottish maker produces forty sets of pipes per week for
sale worldwide, and while this is high, it is indicative of the state
of the market. Pipe band associations report continued growth and the
number of commercial recordings of bagpipes continues to grow year on
year.
Roderick Cannon, FSA (Scot.) comments: The highland chanter has
been undergoing change, higher pitch, truer thirds and seemingly is
moving toward a diatonic scale.(Cannon)
One might envision the time when pipers use three chanters with
different keys: one for piobaireachd, a second for competition and a
third for concert (equal temperament) settings.
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