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Bagpipes such as the Border bagpipe use bellows to blow air into the instrument. They share similarities in sound with the Highland pipe but play at a lower volume, making them ideal for playing indoors, often accompanied by the fiddle and providing music for dancing.
Bagpipe
George Walker
Edinburgh
Europe
Scotland
United Kingdom

Instrument Information

Title

Border pipes

Alternative Title

Set of bellows-blown Border bagpipes.

Accession Number

6035

Collection

MIMEd

Date Information

Date Made

Circa 1840

Period

19th century; 1830s; 1840s

Gallery Information

Gallery

Wolfson Gallery

Case

Bowed strings and bagpipes case 6

Maker Information

Maker Name

George Walker

Made In

City

Edinburgh

Country

Scotland

Description

Technical Description

Technical description: Set of bellows-blown Border pipes in ebony with ivory mountings. Instrument complete with bellows, bag, bag cover, and reeds.Chanter: Ebony with ivory sole. Seven finger-holes and one thumb-hole. Conical bore. Stamped twice. Bulb-shaped chanter head. Ivory ferrule on chanter stock.Common stock: Ebony mounting block holds the drones into the ivory ferrule. Comb and bead decoration with twelve incised lines in three bands.Drones: Three drones: bass and two tenors. Ebony with ivory mountings. Tenor drones of two sections, bass has three sections. Ivory mountings and tops. Fine comb and beading on drones matching the pattern of the common stock. Tulip-shaped ends.Reeds: One chanter reed and three cane drone reeds.Connector pipe: ebony connector pipe with ivory ferrule on stock.Bellows: bellows with wood boards with black leather gusset and brass hinge. Ebony ring around air intake. Metal hook below valve bushing. Leather armband and belt.Bag: white leather bag.Bag cover/cord: wool bag cover in a black and white Percy check pattern. Red and off-white fringe around bag openings.Measurements: chanter length 350, bore beginning at 4.1 and ending at 17.5; bass drone length c|611, bore at top 13.0; tenor drones length c|295, bore at top 10.0.

Provenance

1990s-2011 owned by Andrew Jonathan Brown, of Marlborough, Wiltshire; 1970s-1990s owned by his mother, Susan Lesley Brown (nee Benn), of Edinburgh; 1920s-1970s owned by her father, Leslie George Knott Benn, of Bamburgh, Coldstream, Edinburgh, Peebles and Melrose. ; Purchased with the assistance of the Heritage Lottery Fund, 2011.

Classification

Instrument

Bagpipe/Bagpipes/Wind/Musical Instrument ; Bagpipe

Instrument Family

Wind

Hornbostel Sachs Classification

422.112+422.122-71+422.22-62