THE next feature in this series will be published in issue 58 of Piping Today. Each feature published in this series is a chapter summary, and each full chapter of the thesis will be made available online at
www.thepipingcentre.co.uk/piping-today-magazine
Introduction of Lowland Scottish Pipers
Alex Currie (1910-1997). Alex has been widely regarded as the last of his kind by those studying the history of Cape Breton pipers and is held in the highest regard by those who met him.
Thanks to Bob Currie and the Clan Currie Society for use of this photo
of the repertoire of these groups, and the topic remains largely unstudied, there is no reason to assume that simply because these pipers performed together, they were familiar with any type of martial repertoire. By the time WWI was at its height, more than 25 Canadian pipe bands had formed and enlisted, several of which originated in the province of Nova Scotia. While it is widely assumed that the quality and uniformity of these bands must have been lacking in the beginning, many received subsequent instruc- tion from the British Highland regiments to conform to musical standards. Records show that units including the Cape Breton
Highlanders, North Nova Scotia Highlanders, Pictou Highlanders and the West Nova Scotia Regiment all sent pipe bands to be trained at the Army School of Piping at the time of the Second World War. Gibson stresses that despite the training these bands would have received overseas, even by the time of WWII; many pipers within the Highland Regiments of Nova Scotia were still ear-learned. Although there are various accounts of pipers who were taught to use written music and standardised fingerings during service, it seems that the trend did not stick with all players after returning home. One such player was Alex Currie who is discussed in detail in Shears’ book.
ALONG with newly educated pipers who returned from the Highland regiments to lead bands and teach pipers in Cape Breton the modern style, the 20th century also brought a small number of Lowland Scottish pipers to Nova Scotia who aimed to improve the quality of piping in the province. Most of these players immigrated individually, and for personal rea- sons, unlike the community chain migrations of generations past. Two of the most notewor- thy among these pipers were George Dey and Sandy Boyde. Dey was a highly successful piper in the Scottish competition circuit and piped for the British Army. He was one of the earliest pipers of his kind to move to Nova Scotia specifically to teach piping, immigrating at the request of amateur Scottish-born piper, Robert Thomas, who was starting a pipe band in Halifax. Arriv- ing in 1906, Dey worked with Thomas and his band, eventually branching out to teach several other individuals and groups until he suffered a stroke in 1962. While Dey did not ever teach in Cape Breton, he is noted for his influence in the spread of competition-style piping throughout the province as a whole. Sandy Boyde arrived in Halifax in 1942 and was also regarded as a highly successful com- petitor in Scotland. He spent a period directing the Pictou Highlanders Pipe Band in Halifax, before dedicating himself to instruction and solo performance as he travelled through the province. He is held as one of the most influential contemporary pipers in the post- war period due to the breadth of his travels, and is even noted for passing tunes to a few Cape Breton fiddlers, such as Winston Scotty Fitzgerald. He often spent long periods of time staying in homes with various families in rural areas, teaching children to play the bagpipes in exchange for room and board. His influence was far greater than Dey’s earlier work and by the 1970s his pupils were well represented at the piping competitions that had developed in Nova Scotia.
These two Scotsmen alone are responsible for a large amount of the change seen in pip- ing styles within Cape Breton and Nova Scotia as a whole during the 20th century. What the local military pipers began, these men solidi- fied into more than an isolated phenomenon, contributing significantly to the establishment
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