The Mapleton Historical Society welcomed members and guests to Goldstone United Church on Nov. 8 to hear a presentation about the history of bagpipes from western Europe.
Featured speaker Robin Aggus of Eden Mills kept the audience entertained with his tales of folklore, historical facts and musical talents.
Originating in the Middle East from man’s desire to make music, bagpipes were used as dance music from the Mediterranean to Europe. They are popular, not only in the Scottish highlands but in France, Germany and Italy. Bagpipes are also an integral part of Canadian culture.
The exterior of a bag can be made from cow hide, goat or sheep skin. Reeds are made of wood or synthetics.
Climatic conditions play a major role in the sounds produced by a bagpipe. Canadian winter conditions can cause a bag to freeze. Condensation can cause wooden reeds to rot.
Irish pipers use bellows as pipes and reeds are sensitive to moisture.
“I prefer the French style. There are more types of bagpipes in France than there is in any other country.
“Each country’s pipes are true to their sound,” Aggus said after playing bagpipes from various countries. Dressed in a white dress shirt and black pants with a multi-coloured sash, Aggus explained that the sash is true to the French piper’s dress.
The common bagpipe known to most is the Highland bagpipe.
The pipes are also played in the Lowlands of Scotland. At one time each village had a full-time piper who was hired to wake people in the mornings and to entertain at weddings, funerals, plays and fairs. He was provided with a house, garden and a cow.
A question and answer period followed the presentation.
