P/M Mats d Hermansson
P/M Mats d Hermansson |
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Pipe Major Mats d Hermansson, born in Mölndal in 1958, was one of the founding members of the band in 1976, and he has been the Pipe Major of the band ever since. After having started to learn to play the pipes on his own in 1972 he got in touch with a few others to form the first pipe band in Gothenburg in 1974. In 1975 the group got in touch with Pipe Major James Kirkpatrick, a pipe maker from Bonhill south of Loch Lomond. James put Mats on the right track regarding traditonal Scottish piping, and The Murray Pipes & Drums was designed very much according to James Kirkpatrick's teachings. He put great emphasis on correct fingering, good maintenance of pipes and above all meticulous practice.
Mats has performed at a great many functions during the years, and he has also been teaching the pipes to a great number of pupils in Scandinavia. He has been invited as guest teacher to many Danish bands and has competed successfully several times in Scandinavia. Mats has also been teaching piping at The Scandinavian School of Piping and Drumming; 1996-1998. Mats has also been judging at some Scandinavian competitions. In 1997 Mats was elected chairman of The Pipe Band Association of Scandinavia. In his youth Mats was also devoted to Scottish country and Highland dancing for a period of ten years.
At present Mats is pursuing post graduate studies at The Department of Musicology at The University of Gothenburg, doing research on Scottish Piping and Drumming in Scandinavia. In 1995 he wrote a short survey about piobaireachd and in 1997 he finished his M. A. degree in musicology with an essay about piping and drumming competitions. Read the abstract below. Visit his own home page. In his previous career Mats was first employed as a civil servant - accountant-general at The Cathedral Chapter in Gothenburg Dioclese. After that he took up the position as the administrative director of the Student Union of the Faculty of Philosophy at Gothenburg University.
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PIPING AND DRUMMING COMPETITIONS - A Sanctuary Bonding the Insiders of Highland Piping and Pipe Band Drumming. An essay by Mats d Hermansson. If you are interested in receiving a copy, please contact me at mats@murrays.nu. Abstract Piping and Drumming Competitions, A Sanctuary Bonding the Insiders of Highland Piping and Pipe Band Drumming (1997). Essay for the levels of 60 and 80 points (CD) by Mats d Hermansson, Gothenburg University, Department of Musicology. 113 pages. Key words: Highland bagpipe, pipe band drum, piobaireachd, musical competition, musical function, work-concept, subculture, Scandinavia. Today, one of the major aspects for "insiders" of Scottish Highland piping and pipe band drumming (all over the Western world), are competitions for soloists and bands. The aim of this essay is to present and discuss the genre of piping and drumming from the aspect of its competitions. The essay gives a short introduction to the genre, its instruments, its music and its roots in the Gaelic clan society and the Scottish army. This is followed by a presentation of the history and development of the competition system. The genre of piping and drumming and its competitions are then discussed in relation to Alan P. Merriam's concepts about the "function of music," Lydia Goehr's "work-concept" and Mark Slobins concepts of "super- and subculture." Finally a field study of a particular annual Scandinavian event, The Copenhagen Winter Competition, is presented. In the Gaelic clan society pipe music had a highly functional role. When the clan system declined in the eighteenth century, piping retained this functional role within the army. At about the same time the competitions were started and gave Highland piping a new arena, where the music and its performers were at the centre of interest. By a process of conceptual imperialism the "work-concept" of Western art music was superimposed on piobaireachd, the pipe music of the clan society, and it became the classical music of the bagpipe. The competitions are a major factor for improving the standard of playing. Although, they tend to encourage certain styles and aspects of the music, such as technique over expression. Often, "outsiders" associate this genre of music with its emblematic role of signifying all things Scottish, not really taking an interest in the actual music. In modern Western society piping and drumming can be seen as a subculture, in which the competitions function as a sanctuary, where the "insiders" perspective of their culture is prevalent. |
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