SIR Social Sciences Investigation Abstract
BAGPIPES IN STEREO: A BRIEF HISTORY OF SCOTTISH MUSIC
Presenter:
Sara S. Goek, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Advisor:
Dr. Claiborne Skinner, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Abstract:
Scotland has a long history shaped by the tenacity of its people and culture. From the Wars of Independence in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries to the Jacobite rebellions four hundred years later and the mass emigration across the oceans, music served to express all characteristics of life and bind the Scots to their heritage. Characteristics including language define regions within Scotland, but in all of these music has always remained an important part of social life, providing accompaniment for dance and entertainment to pass the long winter nights. The Scots carried their culture and traditions with them through the years and across the Atlantic, a journey often driven by economic hardship. They became pioneers in North America and on both sides of the ocean the music reflects a sense of pride retained through both joy and suffering. In Nova Scotia they were able to settle without being absorbed by a dominant culture, as happened to the Irish in American cities, thus allowing Highland ways of life to survive. Scottish traditional music, though linked to its Irish counterpart, has unique distinguishing qualities shaped by history and it remains an important part of Scots’ identity at home and abroad.