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Set of drones for a set of Lowland Scottish bagpipes

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early 19th century

Postcard of Set of drones for a set of Lowland Scottish bagpipes.
000-000-579-894-C
© National Museums Scotland

Set of drones for a set of Lowland Scottish bagpipes

Set of drones for a Lowland Scottish bagpipe, early 19th century. Bass drone with three joints, and two tenor drones, each with two joints. Made of softwood with varnish finish, horn and bone mounts. The two tenor drones are missing the ring bushes.

The Lowland pipes, or Border bagpipe, was a distinctive instrument by the 18th century. It has a chanter and three drones - two tenors and a bass - and sounded and tuned as the Great Highland bagpipe but would generally not have produced such a strident and carrying sound. A distinguishing characteristic was the mounting of the three drones in a common stock, and the use of bellows strapped under the arm to provide a supply of air. Such a bagpipe would sometimes be described as a 'cauld wind pipe', in contrast to the mouth-blown bagpipe in which the player's breath was hot and lurid. The Lowland pipes were the instrument favoured by the Town or Burgh Piper of Lowland Scotland.

This piece comes from the Glen and Ross Collection of musical instruments which were preserved in the shop of 'J & R Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers' until it closed about 1978. This was the business founded in 1827 by Thomas McBean Glen in the Cowgate in Edinburgh, dealing in and repairing musical instruments. His brother, Alexander Glen, specialized in bagpipe-making and was succeeded by his son David. Thomas' sons, John and Robert Glen, succeeding to the business in 1866, probably did most to collect instruments and their antiquarian interests were carried on by Andrew Ross who acquired the business from the Glens in 1947. The National Museum of Antiquities of Scotland purchased the bagpipe collections from the family in 1983.


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Online ID: 000-000-579-894-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0869: The Bagpipe Collection
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  K.2003.698
Date: Early 19th century (date of manufacture)
Material: Varnished softwood, bone and horn
Dimensions: Bass drone 643 mm L; tenor drone 318 mm L; tenor drone 320 mm L
What: Set of drones
Subject:
Who: Andrew Ross (successor to John and Robert Glen)
Glen and Ross Collection (musical instrument collection)
John and Robert Glen, Highland Bagpipe Makers
Reid School of Music, University of Edinburgh (place of display)
Where:
Event:
Description: Set of drones for a set of Lowland Scottish bagpipes made of softwood with varnish finish and horn and bone mounts.
References:
  • Cheape, Hugh,. A Checklist of Bagpipes in the Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. Edinburgh: Reid School of Music, 1983, p. 4.
    Find in NLS: Title, Author, Title+Author or British Library: Title, Author, Title+Author
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