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During the impassioned and bellicose times of old Scotland, wavering bursts flowing out of the cherished bagpipe frequently blended with the staccato of military drumbeats to inspire heroics from tough clansmen defending their beloved home turf. The unique musical combination also graced festive ceremonies where rugged Highlanders proudly flaunted colorful tartans and sporrans. Scottish army regiments of later days all seemed to require their own personal band of performing musicians in order to complete an effective fighting force. And for centuries, contented voices of crofters, housewives, millworkers, weavers, and sailors have lilted harmoniously to the rhythm of their own labors. Throughout the country, the sound of music has always been an integral part of holidays, dance parties, church services, school activities, weddings, and jolly times at the tavern. While our own immigrant Scottish ancestors boldly pursued the Great American Dream, haunting melodies of Scotland's enchanting folk songs followed the wandering adventurers across deep waters to provide us musical glimpses of their abandoned -- but not forsaken -- birthplace. Their sentimental native tunes still arouse captivating mental images of fair Scottish lassies and nostalgic days gone by. Lyrics singing national pride speak of bonnie brave lads destined to noble deeds on battlefields. Verses revealing high roads and low roads winding around lochs and through braes and over heather-decorated hills have become familiar classics. The popular old songs incorporate the quaint lexicon and colloquialisms of those frugal people whose fondness for sharp wit and braw humor belies their usual projection of Caledonian dourness. Ballads of the islands, highlands, and lowlands often expose yesteryear's simpler but sometimes harder everyday life in that sturdy nation of Scots. But along with charming music which could stir the human soul, many other significant tangibles were also making their way beyond the shores of Scotland. Native Scots have created novel inventions with far-reaching impact, such as James Watt's steam engine, Kirkpatrick McMillan's bicycle, John Dunlop's pneumatic tire, Alexander G. Bell's telephone, and John L. Baird's television. Important discoveries by Scottish medical universities were incorporated into the science worldwide; John Hunter was recognized as the pioneer of modern surgery, James Simpson introduced the use of chloroform as an anesthesia, Joseph Lister first promoted antiseptics, and Alexander Fleming discovered the medical importance of penicillin. Sir Walter Scott, Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Sir James M. Barrie were all born in Scotland, and these writers produced literature still being enjoyed by appreciative readers in other countries. Massive Clydesdale draft horses and the diminutive Shetland ponies which have become relatively common sights in the U. S. are indigenous to this northern component of Great Britain. The Scottish terrier is one of the more familiar breeds of dogs to come out of Scotland. Other well-known international favorites are represented in Scotch whisky, the popular sport of golf, colorful plaid fabrics, and perpetual reports regarding the Loch Ness Monster. All this testimony relates to a country whose total area equals a mere one per cent of the size of the United States. |
| Copyright © 2000 Dick Taylor All Rights Reserved |