Edinburgh Showcases Pipes, Drums

Q. I recently tuned in a television show about Scotland in which the narrator was discussing the largest “Military Tattoo.” Can you give me information about this event?

A. The program was probably showcasing the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which is held every August in Edinburgh as part of the annual International Festival of the Arts. An extravagant combination of music and ceremony, it takes place on the esplanade of Edinburgh Castle in the city’s Old Town.

The term “tattoo” supposedly derives from the cries of 17th-and 18th-century Low Country innkeepers, who, as the fifes and drums of the local regiment signaled a return to quarters, would cry, “Doe den tap toe!” - “Turn off the taps!”

The Edinburgh Tattoo was first performed in 1950 as Scotland’s contribution to the International Festival and featured the pipes and drums of the British Army’s Scottish regiments. Today, in addition to British regiments, it includes performers from some 30 countries: bands, gymnasts, dancers, drill teams, motorcyclists, flag wavers, animals (police dogs, horses, camels, elephants) - about 550 in all.

Participating bands have come from Barbados, Nepal, East Africa, Egypt, Fiji, Norway, Turkey and the United States. The music ranges from military to jazz to ethnic to pop. About 200,000 people view the Tattoo each year, some 35 percent from outside Great Britain.

The 1997 Military Tattoo is scheduled for Aug. 1 through Aug. 23. Among those to perform are the Massed Bands of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines. Performances are in the evening; ticket prices range from about $13 to about $32.

Mail-order bookings are accepted starting Jan. 6. An order form is available from the administration office: Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Tattoo Office, 32 Market St., Edinburgh EH1 1QB, (44-131) 225-4783, or the credit card line, (44-131) 225-1188; fax (44-131) 225-8627.

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