As most of you know, bagpipes are a class of musical instrument using enclosed reeds, fed through drones from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag, whose notes are played on a chanter. Though the Scottish Great Highland Bagpipe and Irish uilleann pipes have the greatest international visibility, bagpipes have historically been found throughout time. They have also been found throughout the Western world including Europe, Northern Africa and the Persian Gulf.

Evidence of pre-medieval bagpipes is controversial, but several textual and visual clues may indicate ancient forms of bagpipes. The earliest known representations of a bagpipe come from the Mediterranean island of Corcyga, where we can see a piper made on bronze figurines. A possible representation of a bagpipe has been found on a Hittite slab dating from about 1,300 BC at Eyuk. Similarly, a possible textual reference to a bagpipe is found in 425 BC, in the play The Acharnians by the Greek playwright Aristophanes:

Evidence of the bagpipes in the British Isles shows up as early as 1380 where it is mentioned in The Canterbury Tales:

It first shows itself in Ireland in 1581 when John Derrick’s "The Image of Irelande" visually illustrates a bagpiper falling in battle.

Tell us, was the Pied Piper also a bagpiper?

But we digress, as it relates to the Great Scottish Highland Bagpipe, it came to prominence during the expansion of the British Empire, spearheaded by British military forces which included Scottish Highland regiments. Since then it has become well known world-wide. This surge in popularity was boosted by large numbers of pipers trained for military service in the two World Wars. The surge coincided with a decline in the popularity of many other traditional forms of bagpipes throughout Europe, which began to be displaced by instruments from the classical tradition (pianos, etc.) and later by the radio.

Police forces in Scotland, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, and the USA also formed pipe bands. In the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth Nations such as Canada and New Zealand, the bagpipe is commonly used in the military and is often played in formal ceremonies. Foreign militaries that are patterned after the British Army have also taken the Highland bagpipe into use, including Uganda, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Oman, effectively spreading official military use of the instrument to Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

So how does all this have to do with this, The Drum Major’s Page? Well, I guess you’ll have to wait for the next update. Until then. . .

Faugh A Ballagh,