A 99 years celebration of the international pipers’ guilds
Tom and Joris of the Flanders Recorder Duo have always been passionate about recorders, music of ‘the olden days’ and the interbellum music and culture. Their latest CD features great music written for and played on home-grown and self-made bamboo pipes. Following in the footsteps of Ralph Vaughan Williams, Joris meanwhile made it to President of the British Pipers’ Guild (applause)!
Tom: Many years ago, I got interested in the 1930s music and dance culture, and Lindy Hopped my way through life! The interbellum era was a remarkable time, characterized by a flourishing of the arts, the revival of early music and its instruments, and a growing awareness of the social role of music. In 1926 Margaret James established the British Pipers’ Guild. Bamboo pipes were a way of teaching music to children who had no access to orchestral instruments, aiming to make music accessible to all. In 2009, I started making bamboo flutes. Because of my love for the material of wood I later trained as a carpenter. That all happened in the background of playing and teaching recorder and viol. This cd is in fact the vibrant cocktail of many of my my interests! It is sad to see that many Piper’s Guilds nowadays are struggling to make ends meet and to attract new members. This musical heritage-project hopes to spark interest, 99 years after the foundation of the Guilds.
Joris: Ralph Vaughan Williamswas one of the key figures in the 20th-century English musical landscape. Recorder players as myself will know his Quartet for Pipes very well. It had always been a dream of mine to be able to play this impressive piece of semi-pentatonic pseudo-improvisational masterpiece on the instruments it was meant for: bamboo pies! In 2013 I was invited as a teacher at a bamboo pipers course. There was only one problem: teaching there without ever having built a bamboo pipe was not an option. During the evenings, in good company of my mentor Angela and a glass of wine I managed to make a beautiful instrument – the first of many to come. There is something magical about playing instruments you handcrafted yourself. But even more wonderful is the satisfaction of all the fine people I have met on the way – all thanks to a piece of bamboo.
Inspired by FR2’s concert and teaching at the International Summer Course for bamboo pipers in The Netherlands in de Summer of 2021, the Dutch Pipers’ Guild commissioned a CD ‘A 99 years celebration of the international pipers’ guilds’! This cd will be presented on 29th June. It is on presale from today on and will be shipped in the first days of July (2025)!
The repertoire is threefold: all the works Ralph Vaughan Williams has written for pipes; secondly, a re-imagination of breathtaking repertoire from 14th century manuscripts, Telemann and Bach; and last: a focus on the repertoire of the Dutch Pipers’ Guild paired with an improvisational longing for a great bamboo future by Belgian cellist-composer Stijn Kuppens. A number or works are world premiere recordings, and some of them we have published and made available as sheetmusic for recorder players to enjoy.
For this unique project we sought out a stellar team; recruiting from the Guilds (Brigit de Klerk, Josje Lodder and Rose Atkinson) and also from the virtuoso recorder landscape (Pieter Campo and Bert Honig). Our best friend Ulrich Lorscheider is the recording engineer of this project that took place in the chapel of the former Abbey Rosario inBelgium in August 2024.
“It seems to me they [the Pipers’ Guild] are doing splendid work in teaching the elements of musical performance and instrument construction to children; also making them acquainted with delightful tunes in a delightful manner. It seems to me a very important part of musical education in this country and the results in the hands of expert performers are really delightful.”
[Vaughan Williams to the editor of the BBC Music Magazine, 1949]
The Dutch Pipers’ Guild is offering this brand-new and exciting CD for sale at the exceptional pre-sale price of € 15 plus postage (accepting all major debit and credit cards) => Click here to get your copy (click ‘get tickets’ to find the cd sale option)
Are you a recorder player looking for new and interesting repertoire? Visit the FR2 sheetmusic shop and follow in our footsteps => click here.
The album A 99 years celebration of the international pipers’ guilds will be presented on 29th June in Utrecht. If you would like to attend this presentation concert, please get in touch with the Guild => click here. If you are interested in sharing our excitement for the bamboo pipes, don’t hesitate to get in touch with your local Guild => click here.
