On piping for a wedding in Yosemite National Park

I’ve written before that two of the greatest honors a piper may be blessed with are first, in  playing for a memorial service bringing comfort and in honoring someone who has passed from this life, and second, to play at a wedding ceremony where the lives and hearts of a couple come together in marriage. The bagpipes lend themselves to celebration in either circumstance.

Just before Thanksgiving this year I was asked to travel from our home in Silicon Valley to Yosemite National Park to provide music for a couple getting married next to the Merced River on the Valley floor. I was excited just to be going to Yosemite in the Fall with my young wife, let alone being honored with piping for a very much in love young couple. The groom described the affair as incorporating one of their favorite places, Yosemite, with Scottish touches of kilts and plaid, wrapped in and surrounded by family to witness their bond of love.  

Yosemite in autumn is a magical place with crisp air, trees dropping leaves of orange, yellow and red, the Merced River reflecting the beauty of the mountains backdrop. The fall also sees fewer visitors to the park, so trails and roads are less travelled and the park in general has a slower pace. You can visit the historic Ahwahnee Hotel and sit by the enormous public fireplace, hike across a valley meadow of golden grasses or sit on a rock and take in views that really have barely changed in 150 years. You may experience a frost in the morning so be prepared for cold nights and chilly mornings. In a word: majestic!

The Sunday of the wedding dawned bright, cool and amazingly clear. My wife and I enjoyed coffee and a snack in front of a fireplace near the Visitor’s Center. Then it was off to change into kilt, warm up the bagpipes then meet at the Swinging Bridge. Years ago, it actually did swing, but today is as stout of a structure as you can find, able to support multitude of tourists and one bagpiper. We arrived at the bridge, by arrangement, before the couple, met both sides of the family then struck up playing 11:45am expecting to play for fifteen minutes. As I played, I marched across the bridge within sight of the granite wall of Yosemite Falls. The bridal party arrived, the bride beautiful in her white gown, shoulders covered with the red plaid of her family; the groom in a kilt of green family tartan. I met them on the far side of the bridge and piped them slowly across to the ceremony to Highland Cathedral, with the couple stopping to greet family and friends. The ceremony began on the banks of the Merced with the Sun giving its mid-day warmth to everyone. Once the ceremony concluded, I played from center span of the bridge while the family and newlyweds received congratulations, talked, hugged and took pictures. One touching symbol of their new unity was the bride removing her plaid and replacing it with the groom’s plaid about her shoulders. It was a beautiful meaningful moment; simple and sweet.

We then drove to Curry Village for the reception held for the newlyweds. I played tunes outside to lead and draw wedding guests to the reception room. Once everyone had arrived, I concluded with one last tune. We were then off to drive home to the Bay Area. It had been a beautiful day of celebration and memories; one that no one in attendance will soon forget.

On piping for John F. Kennedy, 1963

As a nine year old boy growing up in the Central Valley of California, the news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the US, probably went somewhat over my head. Schools closed, my parents were shocked by the news, there was live TV coverage of the formal state funeral and then life went back to normal for me with my parent’s celebrating their November anniversary and then on to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Fifty years later events still hold an impact on me and my generation. As a history buff and bagpiper, when I heard that there had been bagpipes included at the funeral of a president, I went looking for more details. On the order of magnitude of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City, nearly everyone from my generation has a story to tell and remembers where they were when the events of November 1963 happened.

On November 13, 1963, a week prior to the Kennedy assassination, the military band, including pipes and drums of the Black Watch Regiment of Scotland made a visit to the lawn of the White House at the request of President Kennedy. As the band played at the charity event, reports would write that this day with President Kennedy and his family was the last happy time they would spend together. Bruce Cowie, who was just 24 at the time (now 74) and one of the Black Watch pipers that day, spoke with BBC News that he remembered that it was "good fun" but he says: "We all did our traditional moaning because it (the day they played at the White House) was our day off." Later he would reflect on the historical significance the band playing would later have. Much of their appearance has been captured on video linked below.

JFK Presidential Library: Nov. 13, 1963 Back Watch Pipers at White House

On November 22, 1963, nine days after their performance, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Within days, the arrangements for Kennedy’s state funeral were in play. One historical note was that Mrs. Jackie Kennedy sent a note to the Back Watch band, then touring in Kentucky, asking if pipers would come and provide some of the music for the funeral procession. The band would send nine pipers.

According to the Kennedy Presidential Library web site: http://www.jfklibrary.org on the day of the funeral, November 25, 1963, nine pipers of the Black Watch of the Royal Highlanders Regiment marched during the procession from the Capitol, but only played from the White House to St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Their musical selections played were "The Brown Haired Maiden," "The Badge of Scotland," "The 51st Highland Division,” and "The Barren Rocks of Aden." The nine pipers had originally prepared what might have been expected in Scotland for such a somber day: standard laments ‘Flowers o' the Forest’ and ‘Land o' the Leal’. When they found out that the marching pace of the procession would be faster, the band chose the parade pieces. Major Ronnie Proctor, Black Watch Association secretary, said: “It is a great honour that a foreign country’s (the U.K.) pipers and servicemen are allowed to take part in an overseas head of state’s funeral. It’s pretty unique.”

As part of President Kennedy’s graveside service that same day, the US Air Force Pipe Band played ‘Mist Covered Mountains’ while the military honor guard carried the president’s casket from the military caisson to Kennedy’s final resting location at Arlington National Cemetery, where the eternal flame was eventually lit by Mrs. Kennedy thus completing the service.

Thanks to a heritage of highland bagpiping in the US and UK that touches lives wherever the pipes are played, whether in joyful fun or in sorrowful loss.

References:

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Fast-Facts/Funeral-Music.aspx

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-the-mearns/black-watch-piper-will-honour-jfk-50-years-on-1.155945

http://www.thecourier.co.uk/news/local/angus-the-mearns/an-amazing-experience-forfar-man-remembers-the-day-he-met-jfk-1.157561

On fighting the good fight

November 2, 2013 saw the passing of a brave young woman, Catherine Young, from this life, losing the battle to the nemesis of cancer. I had the honor and privilege and chance to enjoy a short friendship with her.

In December, 2012, my family and I attended the Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums Christmas Concert at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Saratoga, CA. There, we enjoyed the music, bagpipes, drums, Scottish fiddlers, Scottish dancing and singing. Leading the program was an impressive young woman and leader, obviously in charge, with all eyes on her musical direction. Catherine was the Pipe Major for the band. I felt drawn during the concert to approach Catherine afterward at the reception to talk about joining the band as a piper. Approaching her took some time, as many people, friends, family and acquaintances all wanting to speak with her, socialize and congratulate her on the band’s (and her) performance.

Not quite knowing how to open the conversation and feeling a little awkward, I was able to finally have a moment of her attention congratulating her on the band’s performance. Her gracious response put me at immediate ease as she asked key questions as to capabilities, years of playing experience, why I might be interested in playing with the Stewarts, etc. She then gave me an encouraging word to send her an email and she’d have my email added to the band’s New Year’s 1st meeting notice for members. After thanking her, she turned to the next admirer and I was ready to go home and start practicing so I wouldn’t look / sound the total dweeb when I showed up at the band’s first practice.  

Catherine started her piping career with the Piedmont High School Kiltie Band.  She was the Pipe Major for the Piedmont Kilties for two years.  She played briefly with the Black Ravens Pipe Band and more recently was Pipe Sergeant of the Monterey Bay Pipes & Drums. Later she founded and was Musical Director of The Piping Circle, a local group of pipers playing informally for a host of gigs. In 2011 she assumed the role of Pipe Major for the Stewart Tartan Pipes & Drums.  Her enthusiastic leadership guided the Stewart Tartan Pipes and Drums to go from a local parade band, improving our level of music, in order to re-enter the Western United States Pipe Band Association’s pipe band competition arena. With a B.A. in music and the natural leadership, Catherine made us want to improve musically on the pipes and as a band ensemble.  She had a drive to never rest on past accomplishments and instead her focus was one of positively looking.

In those early months of 2013 I was blessed to be able to spend a number of pre-band time slots playing chanter and pipes with and for her, going through passages of the myriad of music to be memorized before joining the band for parades, and eventually competition. Catherine made me feel welcomed in the band, as a piper and friend. Her encouragement was inspiring and I found myself wanting to do the best I could for her and the band. Even as she guided the band in those early months, the illness slowly taking its toll, and the doctors doing their best to reverse the course of the cancer, she would still show up to practices and encourage, extoll and demand more and better from us.

We’ve lost a good friend to cancer. My prayers go out to her family. Catherine’s life and influence goes beyond her passing: to the family she loved, to the music she played, to the leadership she showed, to the love of life she lived, to the courage and bravery she demonstrated during her illness and to the many friends she made wherever she went.

I, among many, will miss her.