Who Invented Bagpipes

An article by Peter Pierce    Comments Off

There has always been a speculation on whether the Bagpipes bear a Scottish origin or an Irish origin. However, the Bagpipes are neither the legacy of the Irish nor the Scottish. The bagpipes were invented in the middle-east. The Old Testament has references of the instrument being played to call upon the people for worship. There are indications of this event taking place in Iraq, which was then a part of the Babylonian empire.

The bagpipe travelled along with the migrating tribes from Middle East to Europe, Asia and some parts of Africa. The bagpipes were very popular across Europe around two hundred years back. The ruling class started forbidding use of the instrument around that time labelling it as a ‘poor man’s instrument’. The bagpipe was hence forbidden in Europe except for a few places like Scotland and Bulgaria.

However, the bagpipes have recently found recognition in modern music and are being played by many musicians across the world. Not only are many people playing the bagpipes today, but many are also building modern bagpipe models. The portraits made by modern painters depicting the Bagpipe being played in the 16th century has contributed in a big way to the revival of the instrument.