Highland minstrel to tourist icon : the changing role of the Highland piper in Nova Scotia society, 1773-1973

Abstract

"Highland Musician to Tourist Icon: The Changing Role of the Highland Piper in Nova Scotia Society, 1773-1973" is a study of the arrival and evolution of Highland bagpiping in Nova Scotia over a two hundred year period. This thesis examines the history and exodus of Gaelic-speaking pipers from Scotland to Nova Scotia, beginning in 1773, and examines the cultural status and diminishing social role of these musicians within their evolving communities. The study describes Nova Scotia's rich and authentic traditional Gaelic piping style which survived in the Province much longer than in Scotland. It provides historical background and analysis as to why this cultural reality endured in Nova Scotia and reviews the many social, economic and cultural developments which, along with world events, altered the status, role and perception of the community piper within Nova Scotia society.