Na Píobairí Uilleann

Chairman, NPU

An Píobaire

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7 2 21 20110510 21 tisements published and re-published, the Irish pipes seem nevertheless to have been particu- larly attractive to American audiences: hardly any advertisements feature Irish harpers, or Irish performers on other instruments unless they are also pipers. Apart from their musical qualities, the pipes were a novelty and were ad- vertised as such; this must have been a factor in their popularity. The terminology used in nineteenth-century America for the Irish pipes – or what may be Irish pipes – varies greatly and confusingly, and may sometimes indicate different stages in the history and development of the instrument. Contemporary usage was clearly imprecise. From their playing contexts, these instruments all seem to have belonged to the family of bel- lows-blown bagpipes, but not all the instru- ments may have been Irish in origin. In particular, the frequently advertised ‘union pipes’ which often appear as played by Irish performers, are also sometimes played by Scottish pipers. It seems to have taken the term ‘union pipes’ some twenty years to cross the Atlantic from the time of its first known ap- pearance, in an advertisement for a perform- ance by an Irish piper in London. 4 Further research may reveal whether the typical in- strument referred to in America has a regula- tor(s) or is regulator-less, or – as is most likely – belongs to a typological spectrum of bellows- blown pipes. 5 Two early references found are to ‘the Irish harp and the union pipes played in concert’ (1799) 6 and to ‘a tune played on union bag- pipes’ (1801), 7 but both refer to London and are copied from British newspapers. Terms found which do refer to America, with their dates, are: ‘the union pipes’ (1808, 8 and 1812, 9 1813, 10 1816, 11 1820, 12 1821, 13 1829, 14 1832, 15 1842, 16 1850 17 ); ‘an improved instrument of musick… called the Irish union pipes’ (1812); 18 ‘the Irish union pipes… new con- structed’ (1812); 19 ‘the Irish union pipes’ (1812, 20 and 1814, 21 1824, 22 1828 23 ); ‘1 pair Irish union pipes’ (1815), 24 ‘that ancient and celebrated Irish instrument called the union pipes’ (1815); 25 ‘the… flat and Irish union pipes’ (1817); 26 ‘the improved Irish pipe’ (1817); 27 ‘the Irish pipes’ (1819, 28 and 1833 29 ), ‘the union or Irish pipe’ (1820), 30 ‘the Irish bagpipe’ (1821, 31 and 1835 32 ), ‘1 Irish union pipe… with three drones’ (1821), 33 ‘the patent union pipes’ (1821), 34 ‘1 sett of Irish bag-pipes’ (1827), 35 ‘Irish… bag-pipes’ (1833, 36 1835, 37 1842, 38 1845 39 ), ‘the union Irish bag-pipes’ (1842), 40 ‘the… union bagpipe’ (1845), 41 ‘the union pipes of Ireland’ (1846), 42 ‘the grand union Irish bag pipes’ (1846). 43 The advertised pipers play in a variety of situ- ations, usually solo in halls and theatres, ball- rooms and taverns, pleasure gardens and private houses, but sometimes in duet with fid- dle players or in ensemble with others. Most play pipes only, some also play the violin. A The Baltimore Patriot, Maryland, 23 Dec. 1815

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2011-04-24T00:00:00

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