 | This article possibly contains original research .(January 2010) |
Cornish bagpipes (Cornish : Pibow sagh kernewek) are the forms of bagpipes once common in Cornwall in the 19th century. Bagpipes and pipes are mentioned in Cornish documentary sources from c.1150 to 1830 and bagpipes are present in Cornish iconography from the 15th and 16th centuries.
Pipes, type unspecified, are mentioned in many medieval Cornish sources: The Cornish word piþhit (modern spelling pibydh 'piper'), glossing the medieval Latin lemma Tibicen, appears in the Vocabularium Cornicum of about 1150. [1]
The first named 'piper' in Cornish records is that of Reginald Tibicen noted as holding land in Cuby before 1260/61. [2] (probably a player of the flute or pipe, perhaps a bagpiper). The Accounts of the Earldom, 1296–7, mention Henri the pipere of Trigg: his wife Joan was paying a fine of 2s 6d. [3] The assize record of the 1302 Cornwall Eyre mentions Osbmus Le Pibith and Richare/us Le Pybyth, both of Mousehole. [4] A 1344 account tells of a disturbance at a Cornwall stannary in Redruth involving a man with the surname Pipere. [5]
Pipers receive many mentions in Cornish-language plays from the 15th to early 17th centuries. These are:
For example, Origo Mundi, Resurrexio Domini, Gwreans an Bys, and both halves of Beunans Meriasek (the latter play intended to be performed in two parts on two successive days) conclude with a speech in which a character urges the minstrels (menstrels) or pipers (pyboryon) to ‘pipe’ (peba) ‘so that we may go dancing’ (may hyllyn mos the thonssye, RD 2646; compare BM 2512, BM 4565, GB 2547). [10]
The Records of Early English Drama conveniently summarise numbers of performances by Lord Botreaux's Pipers (sometimes also described as minstrels or servants) between 1416/7 and 1433. [11] A piper was paid at Lostwithiel Riding in 1536/7. [12] The 1549/50 Camborne churchwardens' accounts mention a pyper yn the playe. (Perhaps Beunans Meriasek, as Meriasek was their patron saint.) [13] St. Ives Accounts for 1571/2 mention paying pypers for there wages in association with the performance of another play. [14] These accounts do not tell us about the instruments used, except that they were conventionally referred to as pipes. Nonetheless, it is clear that the iconography of bagpipers in Cornwall does not exist in isolation, but in the context of a broad musical culture of which piping was a significant element.
Twin-chanter bagpipes appear in late-Medieval iconography in churches at Altarnun, Davidstow, St Austell and Braddock, Cornwall and at Marwood, and Tavistock, Devon. A single chanter bagpipe and other instruments are depicted on the east wall of St Mary's, Launceston, Cornwall (c. 1520–1540). Such images must be considered with care.
The earliest representation, at St. Austell, is a 15th-century gargoyle, unique in Cornwall but still probably a stereotypical image created by the mason. The Davidstow image, perhaps mid- 16th century, and perhaps of an angel, may also be stereotypical. The bagpiping dog of Braddock is a stereotypical image found on European pilgrim brooches and elsewhere. Marwood is a biblical depiction with possibly a generic representation of the bagpipes. However, similar clothing detail at Altarnun and Launceston suggests that those images are indeed representative of local practice in c. 1520–1540. The Tavistock bagpiper looks like those of Altarnun and Launceston, but the carving lacks the detail to permit certainty. [15]
Pipers were employed by William Thomas to entertain sheep shearers at Zennor as late as 1683. [16] Thomas the piper is mentioned in the Bilbao MS of 1713. [17] In 1830 an itinerant player of markedly quiet bagpipes, apparently disguised and wearing green spectacles, was noted playing for charity in Truro, Falmouth, Penzance and Bodmin. The report implied that such activity was unusual. The bagpiper's origin is not mentioned. [18]
Iconography of double chanter bagpipes and aulos was common 600 years ago. There are 'clusters' of such images in Yorkshire and Dorset as well as Cornwall. [19] Perhaps remoteness or cultural introspection preserved such instruments in the South West when they died out elsewhere. The Launceston bagpipe has a conical bore chanter, which would give a loud, full tone often associated with outdoor performance. The bagpipe at Altarnun has parallel bore chanters which would give a quieter, reedy tone normally associated with indoor use. The asymmetrical chanters at Altarnun may be representative or a function of perspective. The lengths as now measured would give a pitch difference of about a tone.
Modern realisations of the two-chanter bagpipe have been created in small numbers since the late 20th century. The double chanter configuration permits interesting harmonies. One chanter plays the upper half of the octave, the other the lower half. Both chanters can play the tonic note and thus, using covered fingering, one can create a constant drone whilst playing the melody. This drone effect is a striking feature of the double chanter bagpipes. Such bagpipes are also good for low, rich accompaniments.
From the 1990s onward, pipemakers like Julian Goodacre have produced a number of Cornish double-pipes. In late 2009 the numbers playing bagpipes based on Cornish iconography was self-evidently small compared to those playing Scottish smallpipes or Northumbrian pipes. Merv Davey of Pyba has done much to explore the possibilities of these instruments. Cornish bagpipes are now played at the Cornish Gorsedh, replacing the brass bands used for processional purposes in the early 20th century.
Harry Woodhouse's Cornish Bagpipes: Fact or Fiction? provided an opening discussion of the historical references to piping in Cornwall. [20] James Merryweather responded to this, emphasising that iconography of double chanter bagpipes is not unique to Cornwall, and that the term 'pipes' does not necessarily imply 'bagpipes'. [21] Mike O'Connor revisited the topic emphasising the context provided by various documentary sources and the realistic dress detail at Altarnun and Launceston, which suggests that the images are of retained local musicians and represent Cornish practice of the early 16th century. [22]
Extensive documentary evidence confirms that piping was a central element in music-making in medieval Cornwall. While some iconography may be stereotypical, dress detail at Altarnun and Launceston suggests the images represent Cornish practice in the early 16th century. This practice involved both double and single chanter bagpipes. Double chanter bagpipes were not unique to Cornwall, but may have survived there longer than in Dorset or Yorkshire, perhaps due to Cornwall's isolation or to local favour. Whilst there is much evidence for bagpipes in late medieval times, the paucity of later reports suggest that Cornish bagpiping was then in decline. The late 20th century saw renewed interest in the history and practice of bagpiping in Cornwall, leading to reconstructions of pipes seen in Cornish iconography and exploration of technique and repertoire.
Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Northern Africa, Western Asia, around the Persian Gulf and northern parts of South Asia.
The uilleann pipes, also known as Union pipes and sometimes called Irish pipes, are the characteristic national bagpipe of Ireland. Their current name is a partial translation of the Irish language terms píobaí uilleann, from their method of inflation. There is no historical record of the name or use of the term uilleann pipes before the 20th century. It was an invention of Grattan Flood and the name stuck. People mistook the term 'union' to refer to the 1800 Act of Union; however, this is incorrect as Breandán Breathnach points out that a poem published in 1796 uses the term 'union'.
The great Highland bagpipe is a type of bagpipe native to Scotland, and the Scottish analogue to the great Irish warpipes. It has acquired widespread recognition through its usage in the British military and in pipe bands throughout the world.
The Scottish smallpipe is a bellows-blown bagpipe re-developed by Colin Ross and many others, adapted from an earlier design of the instrument. There are surviving bellows-blown examples of similar historical instruments as well as the mouth-blown Montgomery smallpipes, dated 1757, which are held in the National Museum of Scotland. Some instruments are being built as direct copies of historical examples, but few modern instruments are directly modelled on older examples; the modern instrument is typically larger and lower-pitched. The innovations leading to the modern instrument, in particular the design of the reeds, were largely taken from the Northumbrian smallpipes.
Swedish bagpipes are a variety of bagpipes from Sweden. The term itself generically translates to "bagpipes" in Swedish, but is used in English to describe the specifically Swedish bagpipe from the Dalarna region.
The Northumbrian smallpipes are bellows-blown bagpipes from Northeastern England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of Northumberland have had an official piper for over 250 years. The Northumbrian Pipers' Society was founded in 1928, to encourage the playing of the instrument and its music; Although there were so few players at times during the last century that some feared the tradition would die out, there are many players and makers of the instrument nowadays, and the Society has played a large role in this revival. In more recent times the Mayor of Gateshead and the Lord Mayor of Newcastle have both established a tradition of appointing official Northumbrian pipers.
Cornwall is a Celtic nation with a long musical history. Strengthened by a series of 20th century revivals, traditional folk music has a popular following. It is accompanied by traditions of pipers, brass and silver bands, male voice choirs, classical, electronic and popular music.
Saint Meriasek was a 6th-century Cornish and Breton saint. The legends of his life are known through Beunans Meriasek, a Cornish language play known from a single surviving manuscript copy dated 1504, and a few other sources. He is the patron saint of Camborne, and according to his legendary will his feast day is the first Friday in June.
Breage or Breaca is a saint venerated in Cornwall and South West England. According to her late hagiography, she was an Irish nun of the 5th or 6th century who founded a church in Cornwall. The village and civil parish of Breage in Cornwall are named after her, and the local Breage Parish Church is dedicated to her. She is a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church.
The culture of Cornwall forms part of the culture of the United Kingdom, but has distinct customs, traditions and peculiarities. Cornwall has many strong local traditions. After many years of decline, Cornish culture has undergone a strong revival, and many groups exist to promote Cornwall's culture and language today.
The Hungarian duda is the traditional bagpipe of Hungary. It is an example of a group of bagpipes called Medio-Carparthian bagpipes.
Altarnun is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies 7 miles (11 km) west of Launceston on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at grid reference SX 223 811.
Welsh bagpipes are a related instrument to one type of bagpipe, a chanter, which when played without the bag and drone is called a pibgorn. The generic term pibau which covers all woodwind instruments is also used in Welsh. They have been played, documented, represented and described in Wales since the fourteenth century. A piper in Welsh is called a pibydd or a pibgodwr.
Bewnans Ke is a Middle Cornish play on the life of Saint Kea or Ke, who was venerated in Cornwall, Brittany and elsewhere. It was written around 1500 but survives only in an incomplete manuscript from the second half of the 16th century. The play was entirely unknown until 2000, when it was identified among the private collection of J. E. Caerwyn Williams, which had been donated to the National Library of Wales after his death the previous year. The discovery proved one of the most significant finds in the study of Cornish literature and language.
This article defines a number of terms that are exclusive, or whose meaning is exclusive, to piping and pipers.
Cornish dance originates from Cornwall, UK. It has largely been shaped by the Cornish people and the industries they worked in. In most cases, particularly with the step dancing, the dances were still being performed across the region when they were collected.
Ricatus was a possible 11th-century king of Cornwall, although recent scholarship has cast doubt on his existence. If he existed, Ricatus may have been the penultimate Cornish king.
When bagpipes arrived in England is unknown, there is some evidence to suggest Anglo-Saxon times, however the oldest confirmed proof of the existence of bagpipes anywhere in the world comes from three separate sources in the 13th century. Two of them English; the Tenison Marginalie Psalter from Westminster and an entry into the accounts books of Edward the I of England recording the purchase of a set of bagpipes. The third from the Cantigas Del Santa Maria published in Spain. From the 14th century onwards, bagpipes start to appear in the historical records of European countries, however half the mentions come from England suggesting Bagpipes were more common in England.
Irish warpipes are an Irish analogue of the Scottish great Highland bagpipe. "Warpipes" is originally an English term. The first use of the Gaelic term in Ireland was recorded in a poem by Seán Ó Neachtain, in which the bagpipes are referred to as píb mhór.
