We began the New Year in fine style, with a lunch, as usual, at Tickton Grange, but with the added pleasure of having the ladies as our guests. Our speaker, John Peel (no relation, so far as we know) provided additional enjoyment with his illustrated talk on early English musical instruments.
John took early retirement from his post as history teacher at Pocklington School to give himself more time to develop his interest in early English music and instruments. He is a member of York Waits, who perform on radio and TV, have made numerous recordings, and provided music for the Queen when she visited York Minster last year for the Maundy Thursday distribution of alms ceremony.
He began with a demonstration of the shawm, a long trumpet-shaped flute, which was introduced to this country by those returning from the Crusades. There are several carvings of them in Beverley Minster. The oboe was a development of the shawm, and was popular with waits in the 17th Century. Beverley had its own waits (musicians employed by the town authorities to play on ceremonial occasions), and still possesses some of the country’s oldest waits chains of office, dating from the 15th Century.
The recorder, so beloved of school orchestras, originated as long ago as 1300-1400, and carol music for it features in the Beverley Book of Carols, now housed in the Bodleian Library. Different arrangements of finger-holes enabled it to be adapted for the continental market. Much less refined music was provided by cow horns. An early law decreed that woodland travellers had to carry such horns to warn others of their presence, so that they could show that they were not up to no good.
An early example of a one-man band dating from the 1200s was demonstrated, in the form of a small tabor (drum), accompanied by a 3-hole pipe. One of these is illustrated in one of Beverley Minster’s misericords.
All the preceding instruments could be regarded as peasant instruments. They were followed by more versatile ones; for instance, the lute. The model that John Peel demonstrated was very light, with a sound-board only 1/16” thick. Henry VIII helped to popularise such instruments, which were played in the houses of the gentry. Henry left an inventory of some 80 instruments, including, for instance, the crumhorn, a curious little curved horn, originating in Germany.
Beverley and the East Riding generally were musically in earlier days, because Beverley was the headquarters of the Northern Guild of Minstrels. Only Guild members were allowed to play outside their own parishes, and it appeared that different types of bagpipe were popular with such bands. They were common in England from 1300-1600, and visitors to Burton Agnes Hall can see a large version of one over the mantelpiece, being played by a woman! Bagpipers were even hired to play while sheep shearing was taking place, and there is a record of on, John Bartondale (?), being executed at York in 1634 (NOT for playing his bagpipes). After his burial sounds of him playing his pipes emerged from his grave! So he received a posthumous pardon.
As may be assumed from this brief account, John’s talk and musical illustrations hugely interested and delighted his audience, several of whom stayed behind to ply him with many questions.
Any retired professional or businessman interested in joining the Club is invited to contact the Secretary, Mike Welch (01430 872797). We meet for lunch at Tickton Grange on the 3rd Wednesday of each month, and, at the same venue with ladies, for coffee on the 1st Wednesday.