History of the bagpipe

Bagpipes – a musical instrument consisting of two or three playing pipes and one for filling the fur with air, and also having an air reservoir, which is made from animal skin, mainly from calf or goat skin. A tube with side holes is used to play a melody, and the other two are used to reproduce polyphonic sound.

The history of the appearance of the bagpipe

The history of the bagpipe goes back to the mists of time, its prototype was known in ancient India. This musical instrument has many varieties that are found in most countries of the world.

There is evidence that during the time of paganism in Russia, the Slavs widely used this instrument, he was especially popular among the military. The warriors of Russia used this tool to enter a combat trance. From the Middle Ages to this day, the bagpipe occupies a worthy place among the popular instruments of England, Ireland, and Scotland.

Where the bagpipe was invented and by whom specifically, modern history is unknown. To this day, scientific debates on this topic are ongoing.

In Ireland, the first information about bagpipes dates back to the XNUMXth century. They have genuine confirmation, as stones with drawings were found on which people held an instrument that looked like a bagpipe. There are also later references.

According to one version, an instrument similar to a bagpipe was found 3 thousand years BC, at the site of the excavations of the ancient city of Ur. In the literary works of the ancient Greeks, for example, in the poems of Aristophanes dated 400 BC, there are also references to the bagpipe. In Rome, based on the literary sources of the reign of Nero, there is evidence of the existence and use of the bagpipe. On it, in those days, “all” ordinary people played, even the beggars could afford it. This instrument enjoyed wide popularity, and it can be said with full confidence that playing the bagpipes was a folk hobby. In support of this, there is a lot of evidence in the form of statuettes and various literary works of that time, which are stored in World Museums, for example, in Berlin.

Over time, references to the bagpipe gradually disappear from literature and sculpture, moving closer to the northern territories. That is, there is not only a movement of the instrument itself territorially, but also by class. In Rome itself, the bagpipe will be forgotten for several centuries, but then it will be revived again in the XNUMXth century, which will be reflected in the literary works of that time.

There are several suggestions that the homeland of the bagpipe is Asia, from which it spread throughout the world. But this remains only an assumption, because there is no direct or indirect evidence for this.

Also, playing the bagpipes was a priority among the peoples of India and Africa, and in mass form among the lower castes, which is still relevant to this day.

In XNUMXth-century Europe, many works of painting and sculpture depict images that reflect the actual use of the bagpipe and its various variants. And during wars, for example in England, the bagpipe was generally recognized as a type of weapon, as it served to raise the morale of the soldiers.

But there is still no clarity about how and where the bagpipe came from, as well as who created it. The information presented in the literature sources differs in many respects. But at the same time, they give us general ideas, based on which, we can only speculate with a degree of skepticism about the origins of this tool and its inventors. After all, the bulk of literary sources contradict each other, since some sources say that the homeland of the bagpipe is Asia, while others say Europe. It becomes clear that it is possible to recreate historical information only by conducting deep scientific research in this direction.