"LA FLAUTA Y EL TAMBORIL" - © JUANMA SANCHEZ

GLOUCESTER (U.K.) INTERNATIONAL PIPE&TABOR FESTIVAL 28th-29th SEPTEMBER 2002
A Spanish tamborilero in England - Juanma Sanchez
(Many thanks to Helen Leaf for help me in the English version)

En español

It will be difficult for me to write in just a few words the amount of good experiences and feelings that I experienced in the International Pipe and Tabor Festival, not only from seeing the pipe and tabor playing a major part in the music and traditions of its country, but from the feelings of friendship and hospitality of the members of the Taborer's Society. these made my stay in England an unforgettable one. For that reason, before starting to describe my experience of the festival, I want to especially thank Rob and Gillian Guest, Stephen Rowley, Phil Day and Ronny, Richard Sermon, Graham Lyndon-Jones, Andy Richards and Dick Bagwell, for making me feel so wonderfully welcome.

1.- Saturday 28th


Steve Rowley, Dick Bagwell, Phil Day and Juanma Sánchez in the Cathedral	Practicing The Big Dub in Blackfriars	Testing Charles Wells bass pipe (Praetorius model) in Blackfriars	Dennis Sherman (USA) working very hard in his bone pipe


The Big Dub in Gloucester centre	The Gloucestershire Morris Dancers in Gloucester centre	Staffordshire Youth Recorder and Renaissance ensemble performing in Gloucester centre	The Gloucestershire Morris Dancers in The Fountain Inn


Staffordshire Youth Recorder and Renaissance ensemble performing in Blackfriars	Andy Richards (England) playing p&t in Christchurch	Dick Bagwell (EE.UU.) playing p&t in Christchurch	Juanma Sánchez (Spain) playing g&t in Christchurch

Morning:
After the first people had arrived at Blackfriars from their different parts of England (and the USA), there was a visit to Gloucester's Folk Museum. here, we saw an exhibition of several medieval bone pipes that had been found in the city in archaeological excavations in the eighties. we also saw several historical tabor pipes and tabors in the museum. The previous day some guests to the festival went on a trip to see some splendid iconography in Gloucester Cathedral, which showed examples of pipe and tabor players.
Then we went to Blackfriars Priory again, first to practice tunes for the Big Dub, then for the workshop in bone pipe making which was given by Richard Sermon, an archaeologist from Gloucester City Council. While we were there, we saw and played some of Charles Wells' tabor pipes, which he made based on the drawings of Praetorius (C XVI). They came in a whole range of keys, including a low A, which had a bent metal tube for the airway. Later on, many of the taborers went to the city centre, playing all together and individually. Then, we returned to Blackfriars (our base), where we started the main procession to the City Centre. Leading this were the young people of the Staffordshire Youth Recorder and Renaissance Ensemble with their Renaissance costumes and instruments. After them came all the taborers (and one tamborilero) and bringing up the rear, were the Gloucestershire Morris Men, with their colourful costumes and traditional hobby horses. There, in the old centre of the city, where four historical streets cross and meet (North, South, East and West), we played and danced together - both with our own repertoires and in ensemble pieces, even including an exotic mix of extremaduran castanets and English tunes. After the City Centre, the procession then went to The Fountain Inn, where we chatted, tasted fine English beer and food, and shared some good company together.

Afternoon and evening:
Back in Blackfriars again, after lunch, there was a wonderful concert by the Staffordshire Youth Recorder and Renaissance Ensemble. They gave an interpretation of some early music tunes, played on a multitude of Renaissance instruments.
Several pipe and tabor workshops went on in the afternoon, for both beginners and more advanced players. And again, after finishing the workshops, we went into Gloucester City Centre to continue playing in the streets there, and then finished up in The Swann Inn chatting about instruments, dances, costumes, etc
Back in The Fountain Inn we had our evening meal, and afterwards, we went to Christchurch for the final concert of the day. This was in two halves, showing the audience the different pipe and tabor traditions and tunes brought by the guests to this year's festival. From all styles of American music played by Dick Bagwell on pipe and tabor, to the jotas, charrás, pindongos and perantones of the Spanish "far west" that I interpreted with "gaita and tamboril" and "bone pipe and frying pan", the day drew to an end, and we all went away to sleep and to recharge for the following day.

2.- Sunday 29th


Dick Bagwell's Master Class in Blackfriars	Andy Richards' Master Class in Blackfriars	Neil testing a Charles Wells tabor pipe	Frances and Graham performing a Jam session at The Fountain Inn. Peter Kennedy listening


Gillian Guest performing at The Fountain Inn	Graham performing at The Fountain Inn	Dennis Sherman performing at The Fountain Inn	Phil Day performing at The Fountain Inn


Dick Bagwell performing at The Fountain Inn	Andy Richards performing at The Fountain Inn	Steve Rowley performing at The Fountain Inn	Juanma and Graham playing an exotic combination of mountain gaita from Madrid and the English bagpipe

Morning:
Again in Blackfriars Priory, two of the guests to the festival (Dick Bagwell from USA and Andy Richards from England) gave Master Classes. Dick taught us about different ways of taking advantage of, and maximizing the potential of using different tabors, and using different parts of the skin (the centre and edges of the skin, and the ring of the shell) to play early music.
Andy, in the following workshop, gave us different guidelines for playing for Morris dances, using as an example different versions of the same tune and variations of it that could be played for the dancing. After another Big Dub ensemble practice, we went to Gloucester City Centre again to play, and finished up in the The Fountain Inn for eating, drinking, playing and chatting.

Afternoon:
As all good things come to an end sooner or later, there was nothing better than finishing with a session where everyone could play one or two tunes of their choice at The Fountain Inn. This was recorded for a future CD of the festival.
After this, all the festival participants went back home, already filled with thoughts and inspiration about next year's festival. And at the very end of the festival, a sublime combination of sounds could be heard, the blending of the mountain gaita from Madrid and the English bagpipe... Truly, music knows no boundaries or frontiers.

3.- Conclusion

So, I'll end here with writing some overall impressions about the weekend. The members of The Taborer's Society put in an enormous effort each year in organising the festival, and I think it's remarkable that the festival continues in this way with or without official backing.
I got such a great sense of the love that the people I met have for these traditional instruments. And it felt really good to see their desire to share the pipe and tabor with others in England … I hope this continues for many years!

Note: More pictures and information about the 2002 GIPTF are available at Phil Day´s website, on http://www.phil.day.dial.pipex.com/glouc2002/gl2002.htm.