BAGPIPES AND OTHER THINGS SCOTTISH

I always enjoy watching the Edinburgh tattoo, whether on the television or actually being present on the parade ground of Edinburgh Castle. I like the sound of the massed pipes, though no doubt some people must think I am mad to do so. But where did the idea for a bagpipe come from?

One thing is certain. The bagpipes did not originate in Scotland. Or Ireland. In fact, the earliest recorded reference to bagpipes was found in Asia Minor, on a Hittite slab which was inscribed about 1000 BC. And by the 1st century AD, musicians in many countries from India to Spain and from France to Egypt were playing bagpipes. It was probably the Romans who brought them to the British Isles, and, believe it or not, Scotland was the last region that they reached.

No matter where it is found, the basic bagpipe has the same elements: a bag and some pipes. The bag is merely a reservoir for air to keep the music going while the musician takes a breath. Squeezing the bag forces the air through a reeded pipe with holes in it - something like a recorder. It is on this pipe, known as the chanter, that the melody is played. Also attached to the bag are one or more single-note pipes known as drones. Each of these drones plays a continuous note as a background to the tune. In some types of bagpipes the bag is kept supplied with air by means of bellows, while others rely on the lungs of the musician to keep the bag filled. The original Scottish pipes probably had just one drone. The second drone was added to the pipes in the mid to late 1500s while the third, or great drone, came into use early in the 1700s.

Different styles of bagpipes were played in Scotland, but it is the Highland bagpipe or the piob-mhor, 'the Great Pipe', which has emerged as the Scottish national instrument. It is blown by mouth and the bags were traditionally made from the skin of a sheep, though these days rubber or some other synthetic material is used. The pipes themselves were originally made of bone or ivory, but, in these days of mass construction, hardwood is the most common material used in the modern instrument.

There are essentially two types of music played on the Highland pipes. There is the popular music like the march and music for dancing, such as the strathspey and reel, which were composed for military or social events, and the piobaireachd (pronounced pee-broch) which is the classical music of the pipes. This type of music is an art form which can compare to the music of any other country. Most of it was composed long before the piano was invented and was never written down.

Maybe the Scots did not invent bagpipes, but they have become part of the Scottish culture, just like the tartan. This is something else which is recognised the world over as uniquely Scottish. The word may have come from the French word tiretane, though this probably refers to a type of cloth rather than a design on the material. In days of old, Highlanders were known to dye yarn using mosses and berries, and then to weave cloth with distinctive striped or checked patterns. As in most things, customs depended on the locality, so that the weave of the cloth and the way it was worn varied from place to place. The practice of identifying a particular tartan with one family or clan is a modern development and only dates back as far as the early 1800's. And what is more, any institution or person (and that includes you and me) can commission their own tartan and have it registered. But you don't even have to do that if you want to wear a tartan. You can wear any design that takes your fancy. There are no hard and fast rules about which pattern you have to choose, although many people do prefer to wear one associated with their family name.

Of course, no self-respecting piper would be seen wearing anything but a kilt. The skirt-like garment which is familiar to us today evolved around the middle of the 18th. century from the more commonly worn and functional belted plaid, known in Gaelic as feileadh mor, 'the big kilt'. This was a long strip of cloth about fifteen feet long which was wrapped around the body and held in position with a belt, so as to provide cover for both the upper and lower body. From the waist down, the feileadh mor looked like a modern kilt (but with no pleats), while the remaining material above the waist was draped over the shoulder and pinned there with a brooch. This upper portion could be arranged around the shoulders in different ways depending on such things as the weather, the temperature and the activity or whim of the wearer. And came time to sleep, the belt could be unbuckled and the feileadh mor transformed into a warm covering for the night. In fact, the Gaelic word plaide, which is sometimes applied to this garment, actually means 'blanket'.

The kilt as we know it today is said to have been the inspiration of an Englishman who was running an ironworks at Invergarry. He felt that his kilted employees would work a lot better if they had more freedom of movement. So the feileadh mor was simplified by disposing of its top half, leaving just the belt and the skirt, thus allowing easier movement to the upper body without infringing on the wearer's modesty. The resulting creation became known as the feileadh beg, or 'little kilt'. Whatever the reason for the change, the kilt became a tailored garment with sewn-in pleats, making it neater and a lot easier to put on and wear. Meanwhile, the upper half of the big kilt evolved into the separate plaid (or sash) which is now worn at more formal events. Modern kilts have up to twenty five feet of material which is thickly pleated at the back and sides with the pleats stitched together only at the waistband.

And where would a Scotsman in a kilt be without a sporran. Lost! The sporran (from Gaelic sporan, meaning a purse or pouch) evolved from simple necessity. Kilts don't have pockets, and a Scotsman needs somewhere to keep his whisky flask. Sporrans are worn at the front of a kilt, hung from chains attached to the wearer's wide leather belt. Originally, sporrans were modest, functional items made of leather, but over the years they became more elaborate. By the Victorian era, sporrans, especially those that were part of the uniforms of kilted Scottish Highland regiments in the British Army, had become highly elaborate affairs, with intricate silver rims and attached to long backings of braided horsehair, or were crafted from exotic furs.

So, maybe the bagpipes are not of Scottish origin, but the Scots have made them all their own. And a Scottish piper playing away with his tartan kilt swaying as he marches along is a sight indeed.

BILL HUTCHINGS