Starck Bagpipe - interesting
Ron Bowen
First of all the combing and beading is incredible. Everything is precise.
The design and style of the bagpipe is beautiful. Everything is
perfect...well almost everything.
1. The bell rings are ivory, however the bushes are catalin, which has
turned a very dark orange.
2. The nickel ferule on the bass drone stock bears the usual "Henry Starck -
Late W. Ross" - markings, however it shows the address as 12 Kentish Town
Road. According to the much respected Jeannie Campbell (The Piping Times)
Starck set up shop at 6 Kentish Town Road, London in 1920 where it remained
until 1962. ??? Can anybody shed some light on this?
3. The tenor drones follow the "bead, combing, cord bead" sequence leading
up to the cord beads. Except on one drone, the combing was left off the
area just beneath the cord bead, where combing should have been. The reason
is that they wound up a bit shy of the required wood, so rather than put a
3/4 comb in place, they elected to skip the comb altogether. I found this
very unusual for such a respected maker.
4. The three drone stocks all are slightly oversized and tapered on both
ends. They meet in the middle of the stock at a slightly narrower bore,
creating a venturi effect within the stock. Although I have come across
stocks that were oversized at the bottom (Robertson) I had never seen a
venturi stock before. I'm quite positive that it was deliberate. Both the
chanter and blowpipe stocks are straight bore.
Anybody who can shed any light on these features (and other Starck features)
I'm very interested.
Even with these "oddities" the detail on these pipes leaps out at you. The
beads are cut very deeply and are perfectly shaped. Very round rather than
the flatter beads that you find on most pipes today. Now, I'm not saying
that others aren't capable, however there's only one guy that's doing beads
and combing like this today, and that's Dave Atherton at Kron's.
Only when you study the workmanship of some of the best makers over the
years do you start to appreciate those qualities that set them apart from
everybody else. I'll try to get pictures up over the next couple of days.
Those of you who are buying your first set of pipes or who are thinking
about upgrading...study Ringo's Bagpipe Pages.
Ringo
David Waterhouse
Langwill's An Index of Musical Wind Instrument Makers (Fifth Edition,
Edinburgh: Lyndesay G. Langwill, 1977 [I haven't seen the 6th and last
edition]), Henry Starck's firm was founded in 1876, and closed down early in
1962.
He made both Irish and Highland bagpipes, and is of course most famous for his
development of the Brien (or Brian) Boru keyed chanter, of which there were
several different varieties. I possess four of these, all different from each
other (and alas not in playing condition). I also possess The Complete Tutor
for the Brien Boru War-Pipes, With a Selection of Popular Airs. This was
published by Starck himself from his address at 31, Drummond Crescent, London
N.W. It is undated; but, according to Langwill, in 1914 he was at 31 Drummond
Crescent; and later was at 100 Park Way, Camden Town, now 12 Kentish Town Road.
The Tutor includes at the end several advertisement pages illustrating and
describing available types of Brien Boru chanter, together with their prices.
According to Langwill, Starck took out two patents for his keyed chanters, in
1908 and 1909. He also made clarinets. The Addenda and Corrigenda to Langwill's
book mention a set of Irish bagpipes by Henry Starck, London, inscribed "Henry
Starck, late W.Rose [sic], 2 Kentish Town Road, London N.W.1", which were in a
Sotheby's auction sale for 17 July 1975.
Langwill further lists John Starck & Son as a maker of flutes and bagpipes in
London, c.1900-1914; contemporary directories give his address as 49 and 51
Warley Street, Bethnal Green, pre 1900-02; 79 St. Stephen's Road, Bow, 1902-06;
and 31 Stafford Road, Bow, E., 1905-14. Earlier still (1873-76) there was a
firm called Starck Bros. in London, making flutes, at 98 Ford Road, Roman Road,
E. Obviously one must be careful to distinguish these various firms.
I hope this is helpful. Ron says nothing about the sound produced by the
unusual bagpipes which he describes; and I hope he can enlighten us when he has
finished his restoration of them. Is there a chanter? Didn't the founder of the
Naill firm study under Starck?
DAVID WATERHOUSE
P.S. On another matter previously referred to by Ron Bowen, I can remember
taping Hardie chanters in Grade One competition in Ontario in the late 1960s
with the 48th Highlanders, under Reay Mackay; and Sinclair chanters in the
early 1970s with the City of Toronto Pipe Band (Caber Feidh), under Chris
Anderson. The taping was not as radical as nowadays: but we did it. I'm not
sure that the Guelph band can claim priority.
Ron Bowen
instruments in your possession sometime. Your knowledge and pictures of
these pipes may be very valuable to Jeannie Campbell, in her ongoing
research of old makers and their products.
I do have a Starck chanter and I'm astounded at the pitch and trueness. In
my experience, it is very uncommon for a chanter made at that time. I have
heard this said of Starck chanters and it was a pleasure to experience it
for myself.
You played with some excellent bands. I remember hearing City of Toronto in
the early 1970's under Chris Anderson and they were awesome. I didn't mean
to imply that Guelph invented the use of tape. Most bands used it very
sparingly and some bands shunned it's use altogether. I think my point was
that Guelph was more aggressive in using tape, which now seems to be the
norm among top competing bands.
Great post and thank you.
Ringo
"David Waterhouse" <david.wa...@utoronto.ca> wrote in message
news:3B3EA450...@utoronto.ca...
Royce Lerwick
<david.wa...@utoronto.ca> wrote:
>P.S. On another matter previously referred to by Ron Bowen, I can remember
>taping Hardie chanters in Grade One competition in Ontario in the late 1960s
>with the 48th Highlanders, under Reay Mackay; and Sinclair chanters in the
>early 1970s with the City of Toronto Pipe Band (Caber Feidh), under Chris
>Anderson. The taping was not as radical as nowadays: but we did it. I'm not
>sure that the Guelph band can claim priority.
John MacLellan I believe was instructor at the army school in those
days, or in any case, inasmuch as we was teaching the use of "Scotch"
tape or "Celo" tape as his own personal method of tuning single or
multiple chanters in the 50's and 60's, I believe that it was at least
well known if not always used in the army or any civilian circles
familiar with his tuition.
Royce
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