![]() Patrick’s Day being celebrated this weekend, many will recall with wonder and sadness a place and time where a bagpiper played the familiar “Scotland the Brave” or “Amazing Grace” at a fallen hero’s memorial. “But there aren’t too many around, at least up here.” “I really love harmonizing with another bagpiper,” she said. And she does love to play with other bagpipe musicians however, they are hard to come by, especially in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. However, she is the mascot of the Parrish Highlander ATV Club and plays in the Antigo parade every year. Stephanie occasionally plays for funerals and other occasions, but her job and family duties keep her pretty busy. Even the bag has to be massaged with a unique type of oil to keep it subtle and pliable. There are numerous reeds that must be kept at just the right moisture level and every so often, all the pipes must be rewrapped with a special type of hemp fiber. The instrument itself requires lots of upkeep. For instance, there is a special drape we wear for a funeral and there are different types of hats worn, depending on the heritage of the group.” “And there are different pieces of the outfit worn for different types of ceremonies. “Everything is very specialized,” she said. Stephanie’s outfit cost her close to $2,000. There are special shoes, coats, hats and shirts worn by bagpipe players and most take great pride in their garb as they swing lightly down the street. The kilt alone required more than eight yards of cloth to construct. Stephanie has a complete outfit she dons when marching in a parade or playing at a memorial service. Kilts and ornate garb are often worn by bagpipe players. “Later they moved them to the rear because they kept getting picked off.” “They used to put them in the front of the troops, leading them into battle,” said Stephanie. Part of their heritage was to play bagpipe tunes during the funerals of their friends and families and naturally, they brought that custom with them when they came to America.īagpipes have also been used throughout the ages to rally soldiers to battle. That’s because when the Irish immigrated here, no one was very fond of these dangerous jobs so this ethnic group stepped up. It is a popular instrument played at funerals, particularly during police and fire fighter memorials. The bagpipes came to America when the Scottish and Irish immigrated to this country. Black ebony wood, cured for at least 40 years, make up the pipes and the chanter, the horn with the fingerholes that produces the melodies of the instrument. Originally, the bag was made from the skin of sheep, goats, cows and even dog. The instrument has seen some modifications over the years. It is believed they made it to the highlands of Scotland, England and Ireland when the Romans invaded those countries. True facts about their exact origin are sketchy, but for certain they played a big role in the countries making up Europe throughout the ages. I remember thinking ‘what have I got myself into?’ because it was so hot.”īagpipes are one of the oldest instruments in the civilization of man. ![]() Within two weeks of picking up my first bagpipes, I was playing with the band mostly in parades. “It takes a lot of air to blow up the bag and then perform music through the pipes. “The reed of an oboe is similar to the one on a bagpipe, but you really have to know how to breathe correctly,” she said. She was already an accomplished oboe and flute player when she picked up her first set of bagpipes. Winning this award made her glad she took to the instrument fairly easily. Stephanie is particularly proud of the time the Kilties won second place in an international competition back in the mid 1970s in Alma, Mich., during the annual Highland Festival. “We played all over the place in parades, at memorials and at funerals.” “We actually had a band called the Wisconsin Kilties,” she said. But she remembers with fond memories playing the bagpipes while she attended school at UW-Stevens Point. Stephanie is a familiar face at the Oneida County Department on Aging building where she serves as the activities and volunteer coordinator. “He would tell stories about fighting in World War II and when he heard the bagpipes, he knew the Allies were near and the fighting would stop.” “My dad was really the inspiration for me to learn how to play the bagpipes,” she said. ![]() As a little girl, Stephanie Schroeder listened to these stories and when she was in college, she decided to learn how to play this instrument that is so connected to Scottish and Irish heritages. When Russell Swanson was fighting in the European Theatre during WWII, it was the strident and persistent sound of bagpipes floating over the battlefield that made him realize Allied forces were near and safety was at hand.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |