Advent of Pipes-and-Drums

Subject: RE: Advent of Pipes-and-Drums
From: Lighter
Date: 21 Mar 26 - 07:48 AM

They mean "skirl," which is even better, IMO

Subject: RE: Advent of Pipes-and-Drums
From: GUEST,.gargoyle
Date: 20 Mar 26 - 05:33 PM

Front page Wall Street Journal, Wednesday March 18, 2026. Beautiful photograph of NYPD pipers and in the caption, with the word skrill.

The library should place a magnifying glass next to their 10 kilogram Oxford dictionary... the word is a perfect onomatopoeia.

Sincerely,
Gargoyle

A long, anchored chain attached to a "Sherlock Holmes" magnifying glass will suddenly appear.

Subject: RE: Advent of Pipes-and-Drums
From: Jack Campin
Date: 20 Mar 26 - 04:36 PM

They existed as far back as the 1750s but rather informally. The drummers counted as musicians and were paid accordingly, the army didn't pay pipers until about 1820. The first tutorial aimed at military pipers was from 1822.

The bass drummer's leopardskin came with the Zulu Wars.

Subject: Advent of Pipes-and-Drums
From: Lighter
Date: 20 Mar 26 - 01:27 PM

Pipe-and-drum bands evidently began to be organized throughout the British Army in the 1850s.

Here, however, is evidence that such bands existed - here and/or there - quite a bit earlier. From the New York Gazette, June 9, 1777:

"HALIFAX, June 7, 1777. On Saturday last, was performed here, the Ceremony of Consecrating the Colours of the Second Royal Highland Battalion of Immigrants. Early in the Morning, the Battalion...in the full Highland Dress...marched, with the sound of Pipes and Drums, to the Field."


Edinburgh Advertiser, Oct. 6, 1797:

"On Tuesday the Edinburgh Royal Highland Volunteers marched from Heliot's Green to Leith Sands, with drums beating, pipes playing, colours flying, &c."

Such early references, however, to pipes and drums played together, are very scarce.