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Piping
Competition...
The
Houston Highland Games and Celtic Festival...
Professional Piping Competition :: [Entry
Form]
Judges
We proudly announce the 2008 Piping Judges:
- Mike
Cusack
- Jimmy
Bell
- Ed
Neigh
- Adrian
Melvin
Forms
- please print out all for your records. For multiple page
forms that require your signature, please remember to print,
return and sign all the pages and return them to us - thank
you.
History
Piob-mor
is Gaelic for great bagpipe. Pipes are probably as old as
the world itself as there are references to pipes in the Bible
and there have been found Greek sculptures (4,000 BC) depicting
pipes. Mummy cases in Egypt have yielded pipes as well.
 The
Highland bagpipe, though not necessarily the oldest style,
is by far the best design and was copied by many countries
who found them superior to their own. The Scottish version
can be traced to 100 AD. When the Celts settled in Scotland,
they made additional improvements in 12 AD and 506 AD. By
the use of electronics and other sensitive instruments to
record sound vibrations, it has been proven the "the
Highland Bagpipe scale is quite different from those used
in Europe and the Middle East."
The
Scottish and Irish pipers are considered the best in the world.
Records from the 1st century A.D. show that foreign kings
sent their musicians to study in Scotland and Ireland. Nero
was a skilled bagpipe player. In the 11th century, bagpipes
played a major role in everyday life and references to martial
music are numerous. By the 16th century, every clan chieftain
had a hereditary piper. These piping families stayed with
their clan chiefs generation after generation. Theirs was
a rank of dignity and commanded the utmost respect. Mastering
the art of playing the pipes and serving their chieftain was
their sole occupation. The best pipers came from the Highlands
and Islands of Scotland.
Piping
schools were established by the best piping families. As a
result, their knowledge has been, and continues to be, handed
down generation after generation, thus preserving some of
the oldest music and techniques known to man.
The
bagpipe is listed in the British army manual as a "weapon
of war". It was said that the enemy could hear the bagpipes
approaching for several days before the army actually arrived
for battle.
 Competitions
Houston Highland Games offers the only EUSPBA
sanctioned Piping Competitions in the Southwest United States.
Piobaireachd
is the classical music of the Great Highland Bagpipe. The
origins of the music are obscure. It is believed that this
music is quite similar to the ancient music of the clairschach
(harp), all of which has been lost. The earliest Piobaireachd
dates to the 15th century and is still composed today. However,
the greatest tunes were composed in the 17th and 18th centuries
by the MacCrimmons, who were the hereditary pipers to the
MacLeod chieftains of the Isle of Skye. The music takes
the form of a theme with variations, lasting anywhere from
5 to 25 minutes.
Marches,
as we know them, did not exist until the rise of the Highland
Regiments in the late 1600’s. The competition march
was the last form of bagpipe music to develop. Because the
regimental pipe bands marches soldiers into battle, tunes
in 6/8, 4/4, and ¾ time were the most popular with
pipers. The simplicity of these marches allowed the pipers
to play them with little concentration or effort. However,
as pipers left the battlefields and went to the more civilized
competition boards, pipers turned their attention away from
these simple marches and focused on the more difficult 2/4
marches. A result of the rise of competitions in the early
1800’s was a rise in the standard of playing. To meet
this improving standard, pipers began to compose marches that
not only kept the swing and musicality of the earlier regimental
tunes, but also challenged the technique of the pipers playing
them. In fact, many sacrifice musicality for technique or
vice versa. It is only the best who can successfully combine
the two facets of this, the latest form of bagpipe music.
Strathspeys
and Reels are lively Highland dance tunes
played for dances such as the Highland fling, the Sword
Dance, and the Reel of Tulloch. As with 2/4 marches, competitions
played a major role in the development of strathspeys and
reels. Composers wrote tunes that would challenge the technique
of the competitors. Because of the technical challenge of
these tunes, only the best pipers dare play them for dances.
Hornpipes
and Jigs are lively quick tempoed tunes that
evolved from occasions of celebration. They require a great
deal of dexterity and skill on the part of the piper. Not
all pipers are capable of playing such tunes.
 Judging
Criteria
By P/M Sandy Jones
The
piper is judged in the
following categories:
-
Time, includes tempos, breaks between different
time signatures, the measure of sounds with regard to their
continuance or duration, and the speed of the rhythm. When
more than one tune is being performed, such as a Strathspey
and Reel, a smooth transition is expected.
- Tuning
and tone
of the chanter and drones. Not only must the chanter and
drones be well tuned, but consideration is given to how
well balanced they are together. The chanter must not overwhelm
the drones, nor should the drones overpower the chanter.
How well the instrument stays in tune throughout the performance
is also carefully noted.
- Execution.
How technically well the various movements and grace notes
are executed.
- Expression.
The quality in the performance that appeals to the listener's
feelings, or the competitors judgment in conveying the sentiment
of the composer.
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