During a program sponsored by the Palmerton Area Historical Society, history was made by having four bagpipers fill the Little White Church with the lovely sound of pipes.

The pipers are part of the Celtic United Pipes & Drums located in Wind Gap. They discussed the history of bagpipes and then entertained with several musical pieces.

Beth Ritter-Guth, a Palmerton bagpiper, can be heard practicing a few nights during the week on Lehigh Avenue.

The programs of the Palmerton Area Historical Society are free to the public, and as people were entering the Little White Church on Third Street in Palmerton, the pipers were warming up outside.

The sound of the pipes floated in the air, and anticipation of what the experience was going to be like within the walls was building. People were chatting with one another and looking at the handouts that were provided by the presenters.

Once lined up and ready to begin, “Scotland the Brave” started their entrance and everyone quieted. The music filled the church, and even with the doors left open you could feel the power of the pipes. Most of the pipers that night played the Scottish Highland pipes, which are the pipes most people think of.

However, there are others, like the Scottish smallpipe. It uses a bellows, strapped to the waist to fill the bag instead of blowing into it, which Geoff Nicosia from Wind Gap played. He also had electronic bagpipes that were made in Germany. In addition to Celtic United Pipes & Drums, Nicosia also plays in Wild Mountain Kesh, which is a Celtic rock band.

The electronic set allows him to hit more notes and different ones than the traditional pipes.

There are over 130 types of bagpipes that span the globe from India to Ireland, Sweden to the Middle East and Africa.

Gene Kutzler from Northampton, who is the pipe major of the Celtic United Pipes & Drums, talked about the history of bagpipes and how they are played. They are a woodwind instrument and fed by a constant flow of air using a bag as the reservoir. It is the air that goes across the reeds that produces the sounds.

If you are interested in learning how to play the pipes, he also said you would start with an item known as a practice chanter, and then if you’d like to continue to play, you move onto the bagpipes.

Jim Baldree from Nazareth, pipe corporal of MacKay Pipe Band and past president of the Scottish Society of the Lehigh Valley, explained the military history of the bagpipes.

“As early as the 14th century there is evidence that the great Highland bagpipes were integrated into the army in the same way other music was done for morale, to keep pace on the march, and for intimidation,” he said.

Ritter-Guth, Daughters of Scotia chief daughter, Keystone Thistle Lodge, and past vice president of the Scottish Society of the Lehigh Valley, said that the bagpipes were outlawed twice by the British. Once it was in 1745 after the Jacobite uprising and then again in 1746 during the Battle of Culloden.

She also noted that Scotland and Ireland are two different countries, and the Irish celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. When Scots play and march in those parades you might not hear them play “Scotland the Brave” out of respect for the Irish.

Several songs were played, but “Amazing Grace” on the pipes is the one that really affected people. Looking around the room, you could see the emotion stirring up in people, and once the event ended many talked about how they got goose bumps.

The bagpipers spent time answering questions and then ended by piping out into the night.

For more information, search the Celtic Culture in North Eastern PA, Scottish Society of the Lehigh Valley, Daughters of Scotia (Fraternal) or Ancient Order of Hibernians.