A Great Highland Piper © Historic UK
© Walt Disney Records
The soundtrack to Brave was composed using traditional Scottish instruments such as bagpipes and Celtic harps, incorporating rhythms of traditional Scottish reels and jigs. It is also the first Disney film to feature lyrics in Scottish Gaelic (PR Newswire, 2012).
The music in Brave draws heavily from the Scottish musical tradition of ceòl beag (“little music” in Gaelic). This is contrasted with ceòl mòr (“big music”) which were generally slower and longer pieces.
The bagpipe is one of the most recognisable symbols of Scottish culture, with the earliest references to bagpipes in Scotland tracing back to the 15th century (Collinson, 2021). Over time the Scottish piper became a highly esteemed member of Scottish society (McCoy, 2006).
A Great Highland Piper © Historic UK