The Highland bagpipe, widely considered 'Scotland's national instrument', is one of the most recognized icons of traditional music in the world. It is also among the least understood. But Scottish bagpipe music and tradition - particularly, but not exclusively, the Highland bagpipe - has enjoyed an unprecedented surge in public visibility and scholarly attention since the 1990s.
A greater interest in the emic led to a diverse picture of the meaning and musical iconicism of the bagpipe in communities in Scotland and throughout the Scottish diaspora. This interest has led to the consideration of both the globalization of Highland piping and piping as rooted in local culture. It has given rise to a reappraisal of sources which have hitherto formed the backbone of long-standing historical and performative assumptions. And revivalist research which reassesses Highland piping's cultural position relative to other Scottish piping traditions, such as that of the Lowlands and Borders, today effectively challenges the notion of the Highland bagpipe as Scotland's 'national' instrument.
The Highland Bagpipe provides an unprecedented insight into the current state of Scottish piping studies. The contributors – from Scotland, England, Canada and the United States – discuss the bagpipe in oral and written history, anthropology, ethnography, musicology, material culture and modal aesthetics. The book will appeal to ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, as well as those interested in international bagpipe studies and traditions.
Contents: Introduction, Joshua Dickson; Urlar: Problems of notating pibroch: a study of 'Maol Donn', Peter Cooke. Dithis: Materiality and the Highland Pipe: The Iain Call chanter: material evidence for intonation and pitch in Gaelic Scotland, 1650–1800, Barnaby Brown; Wood, horn and bone: a survey of immigrant bagpipes and regional pipe-making in Nova Scotia, 1820–1920, Barry W. Shears; The making of bagpipe reeds and practice chanters in South Uist, J. Decker Forrest. Siubhal: Historical Studies: Traditional origins of the piping dynasties, Hugh Cheape; One piper or two: Neil MacLean of the 84th Highlanders, Keith Sanger; Simon Fraser reconsidered, Bridget Mackenzie. Taorludh: Revivalism and Transformation: Taking stock: Lowland and Border piping in a Highland world, Iain MacInnes; 'Tullochgorm' transformed: a case study in revivalism and the Highland pipe, Joshua Dickson; Return of the drone: a 'folk' thing?, Mike Paterson. Crùnnludh: Canonical Studies: The Campbell Canntaireachd manuscript: the case for a lost volume, Roderick D. Cannon; The concept of mode in Scottish bagpipe music, Simon McKerrell. Urlar: Rhythm in pibroch: a return to 'Maol Donn', Robinson McClellan; Bibliography; Index.
About the Editor: Dr Joshua Dickson is Head of Scottish Music at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, UK
Reviews: 'The highland bagpipe has never been more popular than it is today. It has been enthusiastically embraced in almost every continent, by young and old alike, and at no point in history have there been more players of this iconic 'national' instrument. Performers are taking the instrument into fresh contexts, exploring new possibilities, while also digging back into the oral and written record for clues as to lost styles, alternative approaches and a forgotten aesthetic. It is, in short, a vivacious and vibrant musical scene.
Composed by both emerging and leading researchers in the field, many of whom are themselves performers of note, this collection of essays is a further demonstration that scholars too are keeping pace with these developments, and with excellent results. Issues of organology, historical contextualisation, revivalism, repertoire and style are each dealt with here with precision and detail and presented with an authoritative voice. The methodologies and sources are varied, providing a colourful and eclectic approach, and yet a careful editorial guiding hand has ensured a strong thread of continuity throughout.
Piping scholarship to date has been monograph-led, and so one of the strengths of this collection is that it brings a much needed interdisciplinary balance to the field. And yet what emerges from the whole is a heightened sense of the meaning of tradition, a more acute awareness of historical and contemporary attitudes towards style and aesthetics, and a fuller appreciation of the impact on the music of changing social and cultural contexts. That is a lot to achieve in a single volume: the result is an excellent book which moves our understanding of the highland bagpipe forward by a large leap.'
Dr Gary West, University of Edinburgh
This title is also available as an eBook, ISBN 978-0-7546-9463-2
Joshua Dickson's profile page on the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama website.