BAGPIPE> Re: Celtic Heritage Article
Scott Williams
you enjoy it.
North American Pipers Series
Mark Stewart
By Scott Williams
For more than a century, the ties between the Auld Country and New
Scotland have been strong. Many thousands of Highlanders made the
journey
across the pond to find new homes and new lives, particularly in the
eastern
mainland of Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. What was once a mighty torrent,
however, has now slowed to a trickle. Still, immigration continues. The
purpose of this article is to introduce you to our most recent
transplanted
Scot, piper Mark Stewart who now makes his home in Sydney Mines.
Mark was born the youngest of five children to Ian and Margaret
Stewart of Crieff on May 3rd, 1971. If youve seen the recent movie
about
Rob Roy, then youve had a small but savory taste of the countryside
round
and about Crieff for that was where much of the filming took place.
Though
all of his siblings played accordian or piano and an older brother
played the
drums with the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band, Mark was the only one to learn
to
play the bagpipes. Andy Renwick was his first piping instructor. Anyone
whos heard of the tune, Andy Renwicks Ferret will recognize his name
straight away, Mark explains proudly. He is an excellent player and a
wonderful teacher. He taught me for about four years and I learned a
great
deal. Today, he is one of my very best friends.
Andy was a piper with the Vale of Atholl Pipe Band so Mark was
being taught in that bands unique style. Their music has been
characterized
by so many fresh ideas, he says. It was an exciting band to hear, and
I just
couldnt wait until I was good enough to become a part of the whole
scene.
At age nine, Mark had his debut during the Pitlochry Highland Nights
which were organized by the band. The first time I went along to play,
I
only knew about five of their tunes. We would play down the street, and
I
was put somewhere in the middle of the band. I played the tunes I knew,
but
had to fake the rest. It was quite an experience.
We played twice a week, he remembers. In addition to the pipe
band, we had Highland dancers, Scottish country dancers, an accordian
dance band, and singers. It was really quite a show, a great attraction
for the
tourists who came by the bus load, and the band raised a lot of its
finances
this way. On Monday night, we wore number two dress, which was just the
kilt with white hose, shirt, tie, black jacket and glengarry, but on the
Wednesday night, we wore full dress, complete with our plaids and
feather
bonnets. Each time out I was able to play more of the tunes, and I very
quickly learned to march. These experiences helped me develop more
rapidly
than I might otherwise have done.
At age sixteen, Mark left school and began to work with his father, a
Master Plasterer for over forty years who owned his own business. Mark
served his apprenticeship while attending college and is now, himself, a
Master Plasterer. Piping, however, continued to be a major part of his
life.
Every weekend there was something going on with the pipe band, whether
it
be practices, performances or competitions. He took part in a large
number of
local competitions until he reached the age of eighteen and managed to
be in
the prize lists quite often.
Mark is justifiably proud of his band accomplishments. He started off
with the juvenile band which was sponsored by the Scottish Youth Hostels
Association. About once a year, the band would go and stay at a youth
hostel
and the whole weekend would be just piping and drumming. We would start
about nine oclock in the morning and go right through until about five
or six
oclock at night, says Mark. It was quite an intense weekend, which
was
very good. It certainly made you focus yourself and work a lot harder.
At age thirteen, he joined the Grade 4 band which won the World
Championships in 1984. When he was fifteen, he was asked to join the
Grade 1 band. My first time out with them, he recalls, we were
playing at
the British Championships, and we placed third. This major championship
did not long elude the Vale, however, and they won both it and the
European
Championships when Mark was only sixteen. The closest they came to
winning the Worlds was a third place, but that in itself is a
tremendous
achievement.
The band used to be invited to go abroad to different countries almost
every year and Mark visited so many countries he has difficulty
remembering
them all. We performed all over Scotland, of course, and went to
Ireland and
England, but we also travelled to places like Brittany in France,
Germany,
Sicily, Malaysia, Japan, Canada, and the United States.
The farthest Ive travelled with the band, I suppose, was to Jakarta,
in
Indonesia, Mark continues. We went there several times for quintette
competitions, three pipers, a bass drummer and a snare drummer. It was
very
difficult playing in all those far-flung countries. The bagpipe reacts
differently in different climates, so you certainly learn a lot about
your
instrument and its limitations. I feel really lucky because most of my
friends
at home never had these experiences. It was playing in the pipe band
that
made it all possible.
In 1994, Mark travelled to Nova Scotia with the Vale of Atholl to take
part in the Nova Scotia International Tattoo. He took his Scottish small
pipes
to a cast party one evening and Michelle Pero, a Cape Bretoner who was a
drummer with the Halifax Police Association Pipe Band happened to take
along her bodhran, a hand-held drum used by many Celtic folk groups.
When
he was asked to go up on the stage to play a few selections, Michelle
accompanied him. Many overseas phone calls and air mail letters later,
she
decided to travel to Scotland where she lived for two years. Realizing
that
they had more in common than their music, they decided to make their
future
and their home together back in Cape Breton. They were married on
January
25th, 1997, Robbie Burns Day. His best man came all the way from New
Zealand and about twenty of his relatives and friends came over from
Scotland to take part in the celebrations which they made as Scottish as
possible.
Marks home in Sydney Mines is easily recognized as that of a recently
transplanted Scot. Our walls are full of pictures that remind me of
Scotland, says Mark. The music on the stereo is another clue. Most
pipers
will agree that the Vale of Atholls many recordings are among the best
ever
produced. In its day, Both Sides Of The Track was acclaimed as one of
the
greatest, with one reviewer reporting that the piping technique might be
the
finest ever recorded. The band also made a recording in Ballymena,
Northern
Ireland, at one of several concerts there. The last recording I played
on was
Live and Well in Motherwell which was taped just prior the Worlds
before
an enthusiastic crowd of about eight hundred people. That CD is still
selling
all over the world.
Where piping was once a hobby, it has become Marks occupation. He
and Michelle are full time professional piping and drumming instructors
with
classes and students in different communities on Cape Breton Island. On
the
weekends, he works with the Gaelic College Pipe Band, currently
competing
at the Grade 3 level, and they both teach at St. Anns Gaelic College
during
the summer months. Once a week they travel to Inverness where they teach
the Ceilidh Pipe Band. Theres a lot of interest among the kids over
there,
he says, and youll probably see a new juvenile band within the next
year or
two.
There is a real need for more qualified teachers, he says. There are
only a few pipe bands left in all of Cape Breton, though Im told there
used to
be many more. I think the decline is due to a lack of teachers. It was
quite a
shock to come over here and find that there are not nearly as many
pipers or
pipe bands as there were back in Scotland. At home, every small village
had
its own band and towns and cities often had two or more. Pipers and
drummers in Scotland number in the thousands. No matter what the level
of
your playing ability, youd seldom have to drive more than fifteen
minutes or
a half an hour to get to a band practice. Over here, many people have to
drive
two hours and more to reach a band and that makes it a lot harder.
These things go in cycles, says Mark, warming to the subject. With
one or two exceptions, bands right across Nova Scotia appear to be at
the low
point of the cycle. Some are declining to the point where they may not
be
able to rebound. More teachers are needed but few experienced pipers and
drummers are willing to make long term committments to teaching kids.
There is always a need for new people to begin learning, new kids to be
taking up the instruments. If this happens, in a few years the number of
pipers and the number of bands will rise again. One of my goals is to
teach as
many people as I can, as many people as want to learn to play the pipes,
and
hopefully see a huge step forward in piping here in Cape Breton.
In Nova Scotia, says Mark, there is a very distinct style of piping.
Apart from the obvious Scottish competitive influence, there is a strong
Cape
Breton fiddling influence, especially in the jigs and reels. This gives
many of
the bands something special that is not present in music played outside
the
region, and others are trying to copy it. Bands all across the country,
even the
Simon Fraser University Pipe Band out in British Columbia have been
playing Cape Breton tunes for the past several years.
One of the big things we have in Scotland that seems to be missing
over here is sponsorship deals, Mark says. Just about every band at
home
has a sponsor, be it the hotels, or some kind of company, say telephone,
or
oil, or even beer companies. They all sponsor bands in Scotland. The
money
involved can be in the $5000.00 to $10,000.00 range or, for Grade 1
bands,
even as much as $30,000.00 a year. It all depends on how big the company
is. This really helps out with things like paying for instruction,
travel, or
purchasing new instruments, equipment or uniforms. This makes it
possible
for bands to rise to higher levels because they have the money to pay
for all
of these things and the companies use the bands as their vehicles for
advertisement. If companies over here would start doing this, you would
see
a rapid improvement in the bands and youd see even more bands appearing
on the scene.
Mark has recently turned his hand to composition. His first collection
of original bagpipe music was released in mid-May and, as a proof-reader
for
it, I had a sneak preview. Its called The Crieff Collection, and
sports the
Scottish flag on the front cover. I had a very good look at it, trying
every tune
several times over on the practice chanter, and although my aging and
arthritic fingers may never master some of his more intricate tunes, I
liked
them a lot. My first and lasting reaction was that the book will be most
attractive to pipers in bands and that many of his tunes should soon be
heard
in competition medleys around the world.
Having been taught by Andy Renwick, playing under Pipe Major Ian
Duncan, and alongside his brother, Gordon Duncan, explains Mark, my
style of composition has obviously been shaped by them. I think Im also
strongly affected by the fabulous music Ive heard played in Brittany.
Its a
very different style, but one that more people should be listening to
because
its brilliant. These influences, combined with what I learned of the
traditional Scottish style, have helped me to have come up with
something
that is completely different, my own style.
Living here in Cape Breton, Mark continues, I do a lot of
travelling, and I work on my tunes while Im driving. Of course, Im not
driving and playing the practice chanter at the same time, but I get the
tunes
going in my head and, when I can, I put them on tape, even if its just a
few
bars. Then I try to finish them off when I get home. The Crieff
Collection is
my first book and Im very excited about it. I hope it is going to be
enjoyed
by other pipers. Mark confirmed my own impression of his music. Pipers
will probably find that my music is oriented more towards the pipe band
than
the solo competitor. I hope that my book will find its place in the pipe
boxes
of pipe bands the world over.
I played in the Vale of Atholl pipe band over a period of some sixteen
years altogether and I learned early on that Ian Duncan was really an
amazing
pipe major. He can set up a pipe band faster than anyone else I know. He
taught us to be very humble players. No matter how good a player you
were,
there was always a level higher to strive for. Thats something for
young
players over here to realize. They may reach the top of one grade, for
example, but it is a longer and harder climb to the top of the next
one. There
should be no end to learning. Its a life-long occupation.
Look for Mark Stewarts new book, The Crieff Collection in music
shops near
you or contact him directly at 36 Beech Street, Sydney Mines, NS B1V
1J1or by e-mail at
<mnm...@auracom.com>.
Yours,
Scott Williams.
Adrian Melvin wrote:
>
> Dear Scott,
> I was reading the info in your web site, and
> I was wondering if you could do me a favour. i would like to read the
> articles in your north american pipers series, and I was wondering if
> you could send me them via the email, and also info as to ordering the
> magazine.
> I am also interested in your bagpipe
> collection, how much, etc. I am an old friend of Mark Stewarts, I
> used to play with him in the Vale of Atholl before I vacated to
> Australia.
> Thanks for taking the time to read this.
>
> Adrian Melvin.
> Victoria Police Pipe Band.