Wednesday July 27th is Bagpipe Appreciation Day. It is a day to celebrate the instrument and tunes that lead many a Scot into battle and home again. Bagpipes are used to celebrate a wedding and to bid farewell at a funeral. The Piper’s to the Queen Mother played three mornings a week in the garden of Clarence House under her window.
Here is a video of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards performing the tune “Scotland the Brave” at Edinburgh Castle.
The lyrics of “Scotland the Brave” can be found here sung by John McDermott but unfortunately there are no pipes in his rendition.
The pipes loomed large in my childhood memories. My father learned to play them as a child. When I was born he was at pipe and drum practice. Father’s were not present at their child’s birth in those days.
Sunday dinner would include the record player providing a musical accompaniment with a mixture of Irish and Scottish records being played. I learned to enjoy the sound of the pipes.
My father would pipe in the New Year with Auld Lang Syne. He would practice in the afternoon and was always accompanied by the vocalizations of our dog Rusty.
A piper playing the tune “Amazing Grace” can still bring a tear to my eye.
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