Bagpipe Commonality

[David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.UMD.EDU>]

Poster: David KUIJT <kuijt@umiacs.umd.edu>


Bryn Watkins speculates about bagpipes being instruments of war.

Sorry, it ain't so.  Bagpipes are a very common musical instrument,
shown in illustrations throughout the middle ages, and throughout
Europe.  You can see bagpipes illustrated in the Lutrell psalter,
in the wedding paintings of Brueghel, and so on.  The miller is shown
playing bagpipes in some of the earliest illustrations of the Canterbury 
Tales.  You see bagpipes in Du"rer, and in the playing cards of the
sixteenth century.

I'm not sure when bagpipes disappeared from most of Europe except
Scotland, but it was long after the end of period.  Robyyan would know
better, if he's listening.  Regardless, I doubt that bagpipes were
regarded as solely military instruments until after they had been
abandoned by civilians, which was out of period.

Dafydd
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