A Seated Piper on the Scottish Coast, Scottish School 19th Century

Oil on Canvas

88.90 x 68.58 cm; 35.00 x 27.00 ins

The bagpipes are one of the oldest musical instruments in the world, so much so that their actual origin and age remain unknown. Emperor Nero apparently played the pipes and not the fiddle whilst Rome burned. Even today, variations of the Scottish pipes are used in France, Spain, Italy, India, Ireland, Russia and Greece. However, no country has integrated the 'pipes' more into their culture than Scotland.

The 'Great Pipes' or 'Highland Pipes' have ancestral Scottish origins. The Scottish Pipes are believed to date back to around 100 a.d. However, it wasn't until the 15th century that their use became widespread. Their actual origin is uncertain, but what we do know is that the Scottish pipes are now the most famous pipes in the world. Nowadays pipers play the pipes - the term 'bagpipers' is seldom used. Indeed, even amongst Scots, the bagpipes are now affectionately known by just one word, 'the pipes'.

Traditionally, the bagpipes were viewed as a solo instrument that galvanised Scottish warriors and terrorised their opponents. The English banned the use of the bagpipes upon pain of incarceration and death following their defeats at Bannockburn and Killicrankie in the 18th century. It was the soul-stirring effects of the pipes on the Scottish army and local population that the English army feared most of all.

It was not until the 16th century that music began to be written for the Scottish bagpipes - the strathspeys, reels and pibroch - that now familiarly comprise a piper's repertoire. Before this date, the roaming lone bagpipe player had to make do with playing variations of traditional tunes and folk songs. It was the famed MacCrimmons, pipers to the MacLeods of Skye, who wrote most of the music for the Highland pipes. The MacCrimmons had a piping school near Dunvegan on Skye and firmly believed in the principle that it took 7 generations of pipers and 7 years study to produce a great player.

In more modern times, the leading bagpipe school in Scotland has been and is still based at Edinburgh Castle. It is renowned for teaching the pibroach, the true classical music of the Scottish pipes. The pibroach makes significant demands on a pipers technique and it's repertoire consists mostly of tunes that were composed by the MacCrimmons and more recently, regimental pipers.

Until the 1830's every piper used their own musical symbols to record piping music. After that date, pipers began to write their music in standard musical notation.

Every Highland regiment in the British Army has always had it's own pipers and pipe bands. Each regiment has it's individual repertoire of marches, retreats, strathpeys and reels. There is immense pride and competition amongst such regiments in terms of the music played by their pipers and certain tunes are jealously safeguarded as their own. Likewise, history indicates that the ancient Scottish clans had a similar attitude towards their pipers and piping music. In the era of the great and the small clans, for example, the Cameron's wouldn't allow their men to play the 'Campbells are Coming'. Likewise, the Seaforth Clan banned their pipers from playing the 'March of the Cameron Men'.