The Highland Pipe and Scottish Society 1750-1950

by William Donaldson

The Highland bagpipe has long been a central strand of Scottish identity, but what happened to the Highland bagpipe in the two centuries following Culloden? How was its music transmitted and received? This study presents contemporary evidence and uses a range of methods to recreate the changing world of the pipers as they influenced and were influenced by the transformation in Scottish society. This book is intended for pipers exploring the achievements and musical concerns of their predecessors; for the general reader interested in a music whose history is akin to that of Scotland's poetry and song; and for all students of the process of tradition.Combining newspaper and manuscript evidence from the pipers themselves with a wide range of historical sources, the author harnesses the insights of the practical player to those of the historian and provides a fresh account of the players and their musical traditions, which have previously been the subject of much myth-making. This is the first history of the musical culture of the worldwide piping community.

Genres: Music

528 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too technical to recommend to any but the confirmed bagpipe fan, probably someone who plays. I was hoping this would stress the cultural history more, and there are some good moments (such as the Ossian controversy--epic ancient Scottish poems "discovered" in the 18th century but believed by most scholars to be a hoax), but unfortunately Donaldson doesn't know how to tell a story. So read this book for its valuable research on the preservation, transmission, and teaching of highland bagpipe music, about which Donaldson knows everything there is to know, but don't read it for entertainment.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bagpipes are a dorky instrument, and the piping community can be very insular. I'm a piper, so I feel I can put that out there. Other pipers are free to flame me for that.

This is a well-researched and generously-footnoted book. Donaldson presents the facts and it is clear when he is presently his personal views or conclusions. Portions of this book are quite technical and non-pipers may want to skip that. I admit I hit the mental fast-forward button a few times.

This history fascinated me. It's a two-century soap opera, a window into the human condition at it's most asinine. Traditionalists trying to justify their views as "correct" despite flimsy or unknowable facts. Pointless debates about how to play certain passages (as if anyone knows an unknown composer's intentions), back stabbing, dissing - it's all there!

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great but I think that unless you play or are super into the bagpipes it would be a difficult book to read. Since I do play I thought that this book was great.

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb and thought provoking treatment of the history of the GHB and the misconceptions surrounding the Piobaireachd Society's role as guardians of its tradition.