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Set of half-size Highland bagpipes

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by Alexander Glen, Edinburgh, c. 1840

Postcard of Set of half-size Highland bagpipes.
000-000-579-950-C
© National Museums Scotland

Set of half-size Highland bagpipes

Set of Highland bagpipes, half-size, by Alexander Glen of Edinburgh, c. 1840, with chanter and bass and tenor drones. Cocus wood, mounted with an ivory sole piece and bulb between the neck and the tenon; marked 'ALEXR. GLEN / EDINBURGH' on the neck of the chanter. The chanter does not match the chanter stock precisely. Bass drone with three joints; tenor drones each with two joints. Cocus wood turned with full beading and combing decoration, with bone and ivory mounts; mouthpiece of ebonite, possibly a replacement. Sheepskin bag marked 'SAWU(?) / 38 / 5 A. J. ROSS EDIN.' in ink on the welt; green woollen cover trimmed with lighter green fringes, and green tuning cord. Formerly stock of J. and R. Glen, Edinburgh, or from the collection of the firm's proprietors.

Alexander Glen (1801-1873) was a founder member of the Glen bagpipe making family or 'dynasty' in Edinburgh. He was born in Inverkeithing, Fife, and was an older brother of Thomas McBean Glen (1804-1873). He is known to have had premises in West Register Street and Saint Andrew Square from 1846 until 1869, and was making a variety of bagpipes as an advertisement of 1847 shows. These were mainly different sizes of Highland bagpipe but he included 'Union or Lowcountry pipes of all descriptions made to order'. He began publishing bagpipe music with a Complete Tutor for the Highland Bagpipe in 1840 and The Piper's Assistant in 1843 with Angus Mackay.

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: 000-000-579-950-C
Image Rights Holder: National Museums Scotland
Project: 0869: The Bagpipe Collection
Project description | View all records in project
Ref: National Museums Scotland  K.2003.743 (1)
Date: c.1840 (date of manufacture)
Material: Cocus wood, bone, ivory, ebonite, sheepskin and green wool
Dimensions: Chanter 353 mm L; bass drone 655 mm L; tenor drones 325 mm L; blowpipe 295 mm L
What:
Subject:
Who: Alexander Glen (manufacturer)
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: Scotland, Edinburgh (place of manufacture)
Event: Festival of Flanders Exhibition, 1968
Description: Cocus wood and bone and ivory mounted set of half-size Highland bagpipes with sheepskin bag with green woollen cover.
References:
  • Festival of Flanders Exhibition Catalogue. 1968, No. 105.
  • Baines, Anthony,. Bagpipes. Occaisonal Paper on Technology 9, Oxford University Press, 1973. 
    Find in NLS: Title, Author, Title+Author or British Library: Title, Author, Title+Author
  • Cheape, Hugh,. A Checklist of Bagpipes in the Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. Edinburgh: Reid School of Music, 1983, p. 20.
    Find in NLS: Title, Author, Title+Author or British Library: Title, Author, Title+Author
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