The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

BAGPIPE PLAYING. 103 isa well-known facthat the most consumm Ue artistes, vocal and instrumental, take liberties with the music they sing or play. Many of our finest strathspeys are found in different collections, not only in different keys, but wnth notes differingin number in every measure of a part, and the various parts or sections of a tune ending in different notes. Yet no competetent judge would ever think of deciding the merits of rival fiddlers on accountof thesj2 variations. The same strathspeys are differently given in M'Glashan's collection and in Gow's collection ; but Neil Gow would never have dreamed of giving aprize to one fiddler who played a strathspey as he had published it, if another fiddler played the same strathspey better as M'Glashan had published it. It is quite possible that neither Forbes Morrison nor Peter Milne play " The Miller o'Hirn " exactlynote fornote asScott Skinnercomposed it, and both will likely take different liberties with it; yet, if prizes w T ere given for playing it, and Scott Skinner appointed judge, he would unhesitatingly pass over inferior fiddlers who played the tune note for note as he composed it, andaward the prizes on the merits of their playing to those who gavethe best interpretation of the tune. It is the artistic manner in which a piper or fiddler plays on his instrument that de­ termines his merits as a piper o fiddler, not the mere mechanical production of certain notes in a hard and fast order of succession. PATRONISED BY ROYALTYAND THE NOBILITY ANDGENTRY.— The third factor in maintaining the popularity of the bagpipe as amusical instrument is the number of the nobility and gentry who keep a piper as part of their establishment. The example set by Her Majesty theQueen has done much to encourage this, and ought to be held in grateful remembrance by all who loveto see the characteristics of Scottish national life maintained. The pipers trained in the Royal Caledonian Asylum in London, and the Scottish gatherings promoted by Scotsmen in London, are also valuable aids. It is therefore evident that there is no fear ofthe bagpipe falling into disuse for many generations yet. So longas a company of genuine Highland soldiers is of more value