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Regulator for providing a chord accompaniment for a set of bagpipes

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possibly by Hugh Robertson, Edinburgh, late 18th century

Regulator for providing a chord accompaniment for a set of bagpipes
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Regulator for providing a chord accompaniment for a set of bagpipes, Scottish, late 18th century. Boxwood, ivory mounted. This shows the style of sculpting of the brass keys which, when pressed, supplied a note which would be used to sound a chordal accompaniment to the chanter. This piece is similar in style to a set of drones (K.2003.702) and may be the work of Hugh Robertson of Edinburgh. Formerly stock of J. and R. Glen, Edinburgh, or from the collection of the firm's proprietors.

A regulator is a stopped pipe, whose reed only sounds when one of the keys is pressed. Added to bellows-blown chamber bagpipes after about 1750, the Regulator provided chordal accompaniment to the chanter. This sweeter sounding bagpipe, also known as the Union or Pastoral pipes, was developed for chamber music performance and for ballad-operas such as The Gentle Shepherd (1725) and The Beggar's Opera (1728) and was a popular accompaniment for operatic performances of the Ossian Cycle at the end of the 18th century.

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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