Scottish Nationalism Research Paper

Scottish Nationalism – Music
Josh Watson
As the bagpipe played such an important part in this particular Scottish-themed wedding, it likewise played a major role in the evolving spirit of nationalism in the Scottish people. It has been used as an instrument of war but the same instrument is proudly marched in demonstrations of peace. It moves men to give more of self, to march longer when they are exhausted, to be more thankful in celebratory times, to celebrate more with their friends and family and even to effectively reflect on darker and often depressing times such as funerals and other memorials. It is an instrument of change as well as an instrument of the status quo. The instrument gives speech to otherwise quiet innermost thought as well as to extreme vocalization under vigorous protest.
In order to understand how the bagpipe has become such an important instrument to present day Scottish people, it is necessary to understand some of its storied past. Just how did this weird-looking instrument make its way deep into the hearts of the Scottish populace?
One of the first references to bagpipes – or the ‘pipes’ as Scots affectionately refer to them – in the British Isles is unambiguously mentioned in Geoffrey Chaucer’s The
There are many references of similar types of pipes – with or without bags – in Middle East countries including Egypt, Bohemia2, North Africa, India, China3 among other countries and these exports came from very early times. However, there does not seem to be much significant mention of the bagpipes in English or Scottish literature before Chaucer’s time. Even hundreds of years after Chaucer’s reference, there seem only to be scant reference to Scottish bagpipe use other than their use as a martial aid with battle music, marches, gatherings and