The Old British "Pibcorn" or "Hornpipe" and its Affinities

THE primitive wind instrument known by the name of " Pibcorn, Pibgorn, or Piccorn," now obsolete, has been but rarely described, and still more rarely figured, as specimens of it are now extremuely scarce.There is evidence of its considerable antiquity in Great Britain, and most authorities regard it as of purely indigenous origin.Sir John Hawkins' says that the "Horinpipe " was invenited in this counitry, and Fetis2 mentions Angelsea as its place of origin.A comparison, however, of this interesting, instrument with others of a siimilar primitive natuire, seems to afford considerable evidence that its presence in great Britain was due to its transmissioln westwards over Europe from the East.The Pibcorn is identical with the "Hornpipe " of some authors, the danice known by the latter name being, without doubt, derived from the instrument which was forinerly usually employed in its accompanimenit.An analogous case of the name of a dance being derived from a miusical instrument occurs in the word "jig," derived through the French " gigue " from the German "geige," a fiddle.3Somewhat similarly the term " Musette," originially meanina a " little pipe" or small Cornemuse of special form, came by aln ordinary ellipsis of language to be applied to a piece of music written in the style of bagpipe music.4The Pibcorni is by some writers called " Cornpipe," or " Cornepipe," but all these are merely varieties of the same word; pib, in Welsh; piob, Gaelic; pipa, Swedish; pipean, French; pfeiJe, Geilluan; and pipe in English, beingc, all modifications of tlle sanme; and sinmilarly corn is allied to Icepas,, cornu, and cormie, and ref ers to the use of htorn for some part at least of tle instrumuent.'

Affinities · Stereochemistry · Ancient and Medieval Archaeology Studies · Chemistry · Historical and Archaeological Studies · Linguistics and language evolution

• Irish Bronze Age Horns and their relations with Northern Europe

  Open Access•John M Coles, John Coles•Proceedings of the Prehistoric…•1963

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