The national musical instrument of the scots

The bagpipe was known to the ancient civilization of the Near East. It was probably introduced into Britain by the Romans. Carvings of bagpipe players on churches and a few words about them in the works of Chaucer and other writers show that it was popular all over the country in the Middle Ages.

Now bagpipes can be seen and heard only in the northern counties of England, in Ireland and in Scotland where it was introduced much later. Bagpipes have been used in most European countries. It is also native to India and China.

In Scotland the bagpipe is first recorded in the 16th century during the reign of James I, who was a very good player, and probably did much to make it popular. For long it has been considered a national Scottish instrument.

The sound of the bagpipes is very stirring. The old Highland clans and later the Highland regiments used to go into battle to the sound of the bagpipes.

The bagpipe consists of a reed pipe, the «chanter», and a wind bag which provides a regular supply of air to the pipe. The wind pipe is filled either from the mouth or by bellows which the player works with his arm. The chanter has a number of holes or keys by means of which the tune is played.

Tony Awards

The first Tony Awards ceremony, to honor (distinguished achievement) on Broadway, was held at midnight on Easter Sunday in 1947 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York. Best actresses Ingrid Ber gman and Helen Hayes received initialed sterling silver compact cases, and best actors Jose Ferrer and Fredric March took home gold money clips. Special recognition was given to Mr. and Mrs.Katzenberg, who were cited for having attended opening nights for 30 years.

Best play was not awarded until 1948, and it was not until 1949 that winners were given medallions, designed with the comedy-tragedy mask on one side and the winner's name on the other.

The Tony Awards were established by the American Theatre Wing and named for its president, actress Antoinette «Топу» Perry. Like the Pulitzer Prize and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Tony is a prestigious theatrical honor. Since 1967 the ceremony has been nationally televised and has, like the Academy Awards, become a high-profile, star-studded TV event. In 1968, the Tony Award was mounted on a pedestal to make it easier to see on television.

Glenn Miller

Born in Clarinda, Iowa, in 1904, Glenn Miller began performing with dance bands at age 16 and left college to play trombone professionally.

Tall, lean, bespectacled bandleader Glenn Miller had a passion for precision and an ear for variety. The Glenn Miller Band, which played romantic, danceable ballads like «Moonlight Serenade», was one of the most beloved of the swing era.

Miller played with, and arranged for, Benny Goodman, Red Nichols, the Dorsey Brothers, and others. When he put together a band for visiting bandleader Ray Noble, he made his most important discovery - the distinctive sound of a clarinet playing the high notes over four saxophones, which became the Miller sound. In 1942 Miller enlisted in the air force and led the U.S. Army Air Force Band. When his plane went down over the English Channel on December 15,1944, the whole nation mourned. After Miller's death, his band was kept alive by Tex Beneke and others.

Dance Marathon

Feats of endurance were joined in the early 1920s by the dance marathon, a punishing event in which couples competed for prize money by dancing until they dropped. Although each marathon began with excitement and fanfare, the dancing deteriorated into artless shuffling after a few days. Spectators came to watch dancers use smelling salts or slap each other to stay awake. Competitors got a 15-minute rest break every hour.

Despite efforts by police and health authorities to curb them, dance marathons flourished all over the country. The madness peaked in the 1930s as more people than ever danced for prizes. The record was set at Chicago's Merry Garden Ballroom in the winter of 1930-31, when one couple danced for 214 days in order to win $2,000. The dance-marathon craze caused three known deaths, one in Atlantic City when a weary dancer went for a short swim and drowned.

Van Cliburn

A tall, good-looking young man from Texas, Van Cliburn was the first American to win the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. The year was 1958; the 23-year-old pianist was Nonetheless, the pianist, seemingly shackled forever to Tchaikovsky's First Concerto, for which he'd won the prize, fell into a rut and suffered from stage fright. In 1978 he retreated to his home in Firt Worth, emerging only to play for Gorbachev at the White House in 1987 and a few concerts after that. Then, at age 60, Cliburn undertook a U.S. tour with the Moscow Philharmonic. His many fans were thrilled to discover that a full ringing tone was still at his command and that his Romantic virtuosity was as powerful as ever.

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