Scholars have long provided bagpipes with a creation myth that stretches back to the ancient Near East, where they supposedly appear in the biblical Book of Daniel. It then has the Greeks playing them and Roman legions carrying them to the ends of the Empire. But Michael Peter Vereno's The Voice of the Wind calls this story into question. Using linguistic analysis, Vereno shows that the oldest 'evidence' is often dubious at best and demonstrates that supposed ancient stories of bagpipe origins- and sometimes even their names-were later scholarly creations to give them a respectable, ancient pedigree. His erudite examination calls into question many conclusions and settled 'facts' to reveal a more enlightening story of bagpipe origins. It redefines its field and represents a significant contribution to historical organology. Readers with an interest in modern bagpipes, the history of instruments, and the interpretation of ancient and more recent textual sources will all find something to engage them and complicate their beliefs.

Originally published in 1975, and written by an authority on Scottish music, this book traces the evolution of the bagpipe whilst also narrating the fortunes of the ‘Great Highland Bagpipe’ itself. Exploring history and archaeology of civilizations as far removed from the Scottish Highlands as Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greece and Rome this book offers a unique full-length history of one of the world’s most interesting and ancient musical instruments. Appendices list the bagpipes of other countries and the materials used in the instrument’s manufacture as well as a comprehensive bibliography.

The Highland bagpipe; its history, literature, and music, with some account of the traditions, superstitions, and anecdotes relating to the instrument and its tunes.

This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the original. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1901 Edition.