Inglis Collection of printed music > Printed text > Story of the bagpipe

Story of the Bagpipe
of Egyptian players on two unequal pipes— a short
pipe (chanter) and a drone. The annexed figure of the
Arghool will at once bear out
w
p
the view that many
of the double flutes
were in reality a short reed
of six holes, to which is
joined a long- pipe without
holes — or drone pipe.
As a proof of the advanced
state of pipe music among
the ancient Egyptians, Dr.
T. Lea Southgate tells us
..... that one of the
Artificial ~
Reeds Egyptian pipes
found at Panopolis
dating from B.C. 1500 had
an artificial reed as a head-
piece, or beak, giving a
scale almost similar to the
chromatic scale at present
used. This ancient head-
piece (according to Mons.
Maspero), who fixes the
date as about B.C. 1500, was
undoubtedly a bored reed, treated artificially so as to
form a bulb. This form of reed proves the Egyptians
to have been an extremely cultured people. 1
1 The modern Egyptian zummarah has a goatskin bag, into which
the two pipes are inserted.
8
THE ARGHOOI, : WITH ITS PRONE AND
LENGTHENING PIECES.