Pipers' Guild

The Pipers' Guild is an organization, originally formed in the United Kingdom, in the first half of the Twentieth Century. Members make their own bamboo pipes, similar to tin whistles, and form local ensembles to play these pipes. Margaret James began making these based on a traditional goatherd's pipe, in the 1920's, and the organization sprung from this.

ee also

*Pipe (instrument)

The Pipers’ Guild was formed in 1932 to further the art of making, playing and decorating bamboo pipes. The founder of the Guild, Margaret James, had experimented since 1924 on pieces of bamboo, trying to create a simple and inexpensive musical instrument for use in schools based on a traditional goatherd's pipe.

Her philosophy had its roots in the Arts and Crafts movement. The Head of her village school in the Cotswolds was Mrs Ernest Gimson. Her husband Ernest had met William Morris in 1884 and become interested in his work. He set up as a designer with Sidney Barnsley in Sapperton, in the Cotswolds. Here he made furniture and was also interested in forging and making decorative plasterwork. They were both interested in music and were friendly with Cecil Sharp, who collected English Folk Songs, and Arnold Dolmetsch, who revived interest in early English music and the recorder. The Gimsons became involved in village life and Margaret met Mrs Gimson most probably about 1910 when she went to teach at the village school.

The aims and beliefs of the Arts and Crafts movement were part of Margaret James’ belief in simple music and shows why the three-fold aim of the Guild, making, playing and decorating, is so important.

The simple bamboo pipe is similar to the recorder. Having a wider bore it has a sweeter tone but not such a wide range as the recorder. The top two notes of the recorder are not available on the pipe. Simple pipes are in the keys of D for treble and tenor and G for alto and bass. These have a range of an octave and a third. More experienced makers can go on to extended pipes which have a wider range. Music for the pipes ranges from early music and folk song, dance music, arrangements of music from the classical era and modern music.

The first professional musician of note to be involved with the Guild was Dr Ralph Vaughan Williams, later Sir Ralph. He was the Guild’s President from 1933 until 1948 and wrote a "Suite for Pipes" which was the first major work to be composed for pipes. It remains a favourite to this day and is also part of the recorder repertoire.

When the Guild was launched courses were run to train teachers from schools and training colleges. A body of those trained by Margaret James passed on the skills and also experimented to improve the pipes. A bass instrument soon joined the others so that quartets could be played. At the same time drums, viols and harps were made in various sizes. Soon children were learning to pipe all over the country. Students and adult groups were also caught up in the movement. Work was done in unemployed men’s clubs with men making both simple pipes and experimenting with extended instruments.

The method of learning to play a pipe is very simple. After the mouthpiece is made and the resulting note is as pure as possible the instrument is tuned by shortening the length of the pipe until the keynote is secure. Rhythms are practised and first steps in reading music are established. Then the first hole is made which gives two notes. As new holes are made music is provided which uses the number of notes now obtained. It is a very easy way of learning music and musicianship for both children and adults. Making other pipes lead to becoming proficient in reading in treble and bass clefs and playing pipes in different keys. When pipes are decorated they become personal and many are beautiful works of art.

The only tools used are hand drills, small hacksaws and various files. Margaret James’ idea was to keep everything very simple. To decorate a pipe the outer skin of bamboo is removed with a knife or glass paper and the underlying bamboo will take paint before being finished with varnish or polish. Pyrography is another way of decorating.

The Guild’s first Secretary was Mrs Elsie Rigg who was also the Music Adviser to the National Federation of Women’s Institutes. Mrs Rigg remained in this post, until the late 50s when increasing age and bad health forced her to retire. The link between the Guild and WIs remained strong for many years. She was also a valued member of the teaching team.

Membership was, and still is, open to anyone who had made a pipe and could play a simple tune. Those who are interested in the work of the Guild can become Associate members. Members promise never to sell a completed pipe.

A group came from the Netherlands to learn and later France and Switzerland also formed Guilds. Margaret James’ dream of nations united through music had some foundation, though the rumblings of war were being felt.

The 1939 – 45 war put an end to many of the Guild’s activities. Remarkably, a summer school was held each year but one. Four of these were at Alderwasley Hall School in Derbyshire where her brother was Headmaster and owner and Margaret was teaching. Groups of pipers were encouraged to meet when they could in spite of petrol rationing. Bamboo became difficult to obtain and other materials had to be used for a while.

After the war Margaret moved to Oxford where she remained for the rest of her life teaching pipes both in this country and abroad. Guilds were formed in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, America, Ireland, and Denmark, some of them quite small but some with a large membership. Work was also done in India and South Africa and anywhere a piper was able to travel. Today there are also Guilds in Greece, Germany and Japan.

Guilds hold their own courses each year and once every five years there is an International Course. This is held in one of the four original countries, Britain, France, Switzerland and The Netherlands. In between a teachers’ International Course is held. Austria has hosted these as well. Youth courses are arranged by each country and international ones have been organised by these countries and also Greece and Germany. The last International was in Colchester, Essex in 2006. Members of the French Guild are now working toward 2011 with an intermediate Teachers’ Course to be held in Switzerland in 2008.

Since Vaughan Williams the Guild has been served by four Presidents, Boyd Neel, Thornton Lofthouse, Elizabeth Poston and Betty Roe. Of these Elizabeth Poston was very much involved, serving on the committee for many years. Her "Serenatina for Pipes" was written for the Swiss Guild but always much loved in this country.

Since Elizabeth Poston’s death in 1988 the position has been ably filled by Betty Roe. Betty has written much lovely music for pipes and been a good friend to pipers, attending summer school most years as teacher of playing and singing. Among other works her pipe quartets "Under the Greenwood Tree" and "Camulodunum" (written for the Colchester course in 2006) are much enjoyed.

A new composer to the Guild for 2006 was David Stoll who pushed the pipe to new heights with A "Colchester Suite for Pipes". David came to Colchester to conduct the first performance by over a hundred pipers of varying standards after only a week’s study.

At this course "A History of The Pipers’ Guild" made its appearance. It was written by the then Chairman, Shirley Drake, and followed the progress of the bamboo pipe and pipers since the 1920s.

In 2007 the Guild returned to Scotland after some years for a summer course. Numbers are much reduced in Britain now. Modern life and school timetables no longer leave time for a hobby which makes many demands, though one new group is emerging in a North London Junior School run by a teacher who was a piper as a boy. A piper’s promise never to sell completed pipes means that no one makes money from piping. Yet as a means of musical education it has much to recommend it.

At the course in Scotland Rose Atkinson was elected as the new Chairman and there are renewed efforts to promote the Guild.

Copyright The Pipers' Guild 2008

External links

* [http://pipersguild.org Pipers' Guild of Great Britain]
* [http://www.americanpipersguild.org American Pipers' Guild]
* [http://www.flutes-de-bambou.com French Bamboo Pipers' Guild]
* [http://www.bambus.at.tt Bamboo Pipers' Guild of Austria]
* [http://www.bamboefluiten.nl Netherlands Pipers' Guild]
* [http://www.flautidibambu.it Italian Bamboo Pipers]
* [http://www.bambusfloetengilde.ch Swiss Pipers' Guild]
* [http://www.bettyroe.com/]
* [http://www.davidstoll.co.uk]