The Book of the Bagpipe

Cheape, Hugh. The Book of the Bagpipe. 2000. 77p. ISBN 0-8092-9680-2. Available at 788.4 CHE on the library shelves.

For many, bagpipes are synonymous with reverent music and Scotland. Though the origins of the bagpipe is unknown, historical records and illustrations suggest that ancient Egyptians possessed winded pipe instruments similar to bagpipes. Other examples from ancient Greece and Rome indicate that they were played at least since antiquity. 

In Scotland, the bagpipe most likely spread from continental Europe with a musical renaissance that followed the clash of civilizations between the Crusaders and Islam in the 11th and 12th century. By the 13th century, there is clear evidence that the bagpipe was already used by minstrels and in royal courts. By the 15th century, various styles of bagpipes had evolved, and the piper had acquired an important social role as the spreader of information.

The rise of the industrial revolution and changes in social mores spelled the end of the local piper, but the rise of an industrialized military force paradoxically increased the need for bagpipe while standardizing both the instrument and the music. Remaining a Scottish emblem, the bagpipe continues to fascinate and delight music lovers everywhere.