World's oldest bagpipes owned by French king go on display in UK

08 March 2024 , 10:34

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Anne Moore with what is believed to be the oldest bagpipes in the world (Image: SWNS)

Bagpipes owned by a French king and thought to be the oldest in the world have been put on display ahead of World Bagpipe Day.

The set of pipes, displayed at Morpeth Chantry in Northumberland, are believed to have been constructed in the late 17th century for King Louis XIV of France. Known as a musette de cour, this instrument was discovered after a collector spotted a painting of the king in the Palace of Versailles - with a similar set of pipes pictured next to him.

In 1987, after 16 years on display at Newcastle Castle, the pipes were moved to Morpeth Chantry Bagpipe Museum, where they have remained ever since. Anne Moore, who has been the museum curator for 30 years, explained how the instrument was used in the late 1600s. "The musette de cour played an important part in the great aristocratic vogue for the pastoral," she said. "The musette is winded by means of bellows operated under the player's right arm, obviating the vulgarity of blowing up the bag by mouth. It has two keyed chanters, capable of playing two chromatic octaves rather than the simple 8 notes of the simpler instrument."

The set of pipes are thought to have been constructed in the late 17th century for King Louis XIV of France (SWNS)

"The instrument would be made from the finest materials usually ebony or ivory, or both which would add to the density of sound as well as to the richness of the design." A stamp on the pipes reveals the creator of the set - Lissieu, a well-respected instrument maker from Lyons in the late 1600s, who also constructed the set featured in King Louis' portrait.

While it is impossible to tell for sure if the musette de cour is the exact instrument featured in the oil painting, the similarities are undeniable. "It is a possibility that the artist may not have been working from "life", but from drawings, and so changes some of the details slightly," said Anne. "However it is also a possibility that we might be looking at "matched" instruments Lissieu may have made two instruments in the same style, but with subtle differences in decoration, to be played together."

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"What we can say, with absolute certainty, is that the musette painted by Garnier is a Lissieu instrument the similarities of design are too close to come to any other conclusion."

Rom Preston-Ellis