The 21st Audlem Bagpipe and Hurdy Gurdy Day

Twenty-first birthdays are usually associated with a transition to maturity of some sort, and perhaps this is true of this anniversary of the first holding of a Bagpipe and Hurdy Gurdy Day in Audlem; but, to be honest, I can't quite believe it, let alone understand it.

But there it is. In spite of a major last-minute obstacle – the closing of The Shroppie Fly – we were able to continue with the event with the help and support of the new 'land lords' at The Bridge Inn, who, at very short notice, were able to slot us into their conservatory – with some overflow of non-performing business into the drinking and eating area next to it.

Thank You

We hope this serves as a public THANK YOU.

Yet again, players came from far and wide to contribute to the musical variety of the day.

Counting up the 'whos' and 'whats' of the assembled menagerie, after the event, I find that there were at least 37 performers, each with at least one, sometimes two, occasionally three and in at least three case that I know of, four items in their instrumentarium, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that there were some musicians with even more things tucked away in their trousers, skirts, satchels, ruck-sacks or handbags – but the conservatory was so quite completely full that it was impossible to do a thorough search of all the nooks and crannies, so I'll have to rely on feedback to find out whether I've offended anyone by not mentioning the person with seven different whistley, plucky, grindy, sawing, banging, shaking, blowing things under their table.
What I can tell you is that according to the Register of Performers taken on the day, there were at least 14 Hurdy Gurdys (Gurdies?) present, with sizes and ages ranging from the diminutive and ancient to the majestic and new, via the slick and seductive; each, in its own way having a charm that leaves me determined that, some day, I too will get my hands on one.

Ten Pipers Piping...

There were, so far as I can tell, at least ten pipers piping, on pipes that ranged from delicate little 'domestic' Northumbrian Small Pipes to a set with a bag that appeared to be made from the cured skin of a whole goat. Someone will tell me if I am mistaken, but they were loud enough for it to seem that the goat might still be in there. Not the thing with which to lull a baby to sleep, nor yet as raucous as the Scottish War Pipes, which were noticeable by their absence.

We had 5 whistlers playing whistles, 3 playing recorders of various sizes, 3 singers singing and a whole raft of 'singletons' adding a variety of acoustic contrasts to the generally joyous timbre of the proceedings.

The range of music 'on offer' included tunes and songs from many countries and many centuries, with a significant contribution from Europe – Hurdy Gurdy music from France may have predominated, as usual – but with English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh and Hungarian featuring too.
Maybe next year, I will record the whole event and catalogue the tunes that get played.

But that's next year's project. I have no idea how to do it, given that the fact that 'the tune that gets played next' doesn't appear in a list that's available at the start of the day, and what does get played next depends entirely on someone feeling that 'it's time I did something, and I feel like doing this' – a 'modus operandi' that has always been the case.

I have often been asked, in relation to 'Bagpipe and Hurdy Gurdy Day' – "Who organises it?"

The answer is that "Nobody organises it. Three of us arrange for it to happen, and advertise it, but after that, it just happens.

Long may it continue to be 'organised' in this way.

Here's to the next 21 events!

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