"For centuries, pipers have led men of the Highland Clans into battle. In the 18th & early 19th centuries, pipers in Highland regiments, usually played alone, not until the Napoleonic period did they begin playing together on the march. During the mid-1800s pipers and drummers began playing together, prior to which drummers played with fifers. In times of war the pipes and drums played on the line of march and during battle, serving an important psychological purpose, the music a boost to the morale and fighting spirit of the men."  Watch video clip

Each summer, as part of the living history program at the Halifax Citadel National Historic Site of Canada, the Pipes and Drums of the 78th Highlanders from the 1869-71 period are re-created for the entertainment of visitors to the site. Throughout the day, pipers and drummers perform the camp and duty calls that helped to regulate a soldier’s day in the mid-Victorian period. In July and August, visitors can watch and listen as the unit’s entire complement of pipers and drummers perform in noon-day concerts.