It’s fair to say it's on the short list of sounds that can, nearly universally, prompt so visceral a response.
It commands your attention, makes your hairs to stand on end, and adds an unspoken element of gravitas to the moment.
Crisp and distinct, clear and direct, the slow airs of a bagpipe have meant many things to many people over the ages. But in Chicago, their tones are often closely associated with the Chicago Fire Department and many of its most poignant, often sacred, occasions.
Since 2007, the group frequently at the center of those occasions has been the Chicago Fire Pipes & Drums band, a collection of performers comprised of members of the Chicago Fire Department and their immediate family.