Blair Collection > Treatise on the language, poetry, and music of the Highland clans

OF TOE HIGHLAND CLANS. 129
independence of spirit that could recognise no superiors excepting in tlie ofiicials
elected by themselves. But I greatly suspect, since the piper has become a
domestic musician, that he finds it his interest to cultivate the tastes of strangers ;
and hence that this warlike music has been so toned down as to be a totally
difl'erent thing from what it has been. Amazing loudness, which alone could
enable it to give reachd or law to the movements of conflicting armies in the
field of battle, was its peculiar characteristic ; but the wonderful thing was, the
scientific knowledge of sound by which these noble musicians so regulated the
accompanying modulations of the three drones, as to render the piercing sound
of the chanter, in a properly tuned pipe, under the fingers of a " Padruig," as
sweet as that sweetest and best of all musical instruments — the violin. I have
said that I may possibly be mistaken as to the total degeneracy of bagpipe
music ; but be that as it may, I went to a gentleman's piper recently, to get the
piob-reachd of Cill-a-Chriosd for this work, and received a specimen, which is
a much better imitation of the inexpressive notes, eternally repeated, that would
be made by three unfortunate bumbees or blue-bottles imprisoned in a tin snuff-
box, and struggling to get out by too narrow a slit in its cover, than a torrent
of flame rushing and bellowing through the crashing timbers of resounding
aisles, niingled with the angry remonstrances and maddened war-cries of
burning and smothering warriors, strong and unyielding even in that extremity.
I cannot caricature the warlike music of my country by publishing this
specimen. If bagpipe music is reduced to this, let it die, and leave us to cherish
its memory as an unmatched warlike national music.
Although the illustration of the variety and beauty of the numerous styles
and measures of Gaelic poetry was not embraced by the plan of this treatise,
I wrote some twelve pages between quotations and remarks on this very curious
and interesting subject, which I find myself compelled to omit, owing to the
limits originally assigned to the work. I regret this less, as I think that the
songs to be submitted along with the melodies, will enable the English reader
to form a pretty fair idea of the diversity of measures and styles cultivated by
the bards. They did not cultivate metre, or lines ending in corresponding
syllables ; but they have much poetry which has such terminations, more,
however, from accident than design. The art, apparently artless, with which
they interspersed words of corresponding yet varied vowel and liquid sounds
through their verses, is truly wonderful. Some of these variations are not less
curious than pleasing, having a concord of vowels, without alliteration, running
through the whole, and occurring in different parts of lines forming corresponding
rhymes. I must forbear quotations ; but cannot help submitting the following
few verses from a warrior of some distinction in the wars of Montrose and
Dundee, on a subject on which volumes have been written, — the praise of the
different clans. Each of these pieces was usually called
OEAN NA'm FINEACHAN. — A SONG OF THE CLANS.
Si so'n aimsir an dearbhar Now is the time to prove
si so'n aym-sir an der-yàr
An targanach dhuiu, The stability of the government,
an taragauach yiiyu
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