Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

A forum about Uilleann (Irish) pipes and the surly people who play them.
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PB+J »

A couple weeks ago I did some research at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA, and go to examine the set of Taylor pipes they have. Mercer, the museum's founder, was a big fan of Irish music and visited the Taylor workshop multiple times. These pipes, and Mercer, have been written up in An Piobaire and so I'm not presenting anything new, but I thought a few pictures might be of interest.

They were fascinating--I've never actually held or looked closely at a set of pipes before. The Taylors had a high degree of skill in multiple areas--metal work, wood turning, carving, leather work. The key mechanisms were fascinating. Very robust.

The pipes are disassembled--I held them gingerly with gloves on.


Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PB+J »

A few more pictures

Image


Image


Image


Image


Image
User avatar
pudinka
Posts: 277
Joined: Wed May 11, 2005 8:47 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 12
Location: 29N/95W

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by pudinka »

Thanks for the pix - very interesting...do you think the 'flatware' handle on the bellows was original? It looks like a spoon handle - what is that for if the bellows are held together by straps? (I have to wonder).
It's true that you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar - but a big, steaming pile works best of all.
Ken_C
Posts: 26
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2009 11:03 am
Please enter the next number in sequence: 1
Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by Ken_C »

These do look a lot like George Balderose's Taylor set, which I got to hear last fall when we did the Pittsburgh version of play the u. pipes day (the official NPU name of that event slips my mind). They do sound different from the few other sets I've heard (I'm a beginner), but I don't have the literary skill to describe it.

I don't remember about the bellows, pudinka, but will check if I get another chance.

Ken C
western Pennsylvania
User avatar
PJ
Posts: 5884
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:23 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: ......................................................................................................
Location: Baychimo

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PJ »

Thanks for sharing this.

Interesting to see that the lower hand tone holes on the chanter seem to have been extensively altered, redrilled, filled, etc. I wonder if this was typical of Taylors - part of the tuning - or was it done by someone else?
PJ
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PB+J »

pudinka wrote:Thanks for the pix - very interesting...do you think the 'flatware' handle on the bellows was original? It looks like a spoon handle - what is that for if the bellows are held together by straps? (I have to wonder).

Please understand I know next to nothing about the pipes. The spoon shaped fixture on the bellows was connected to a leather strap that seemed to be designed to hold the bellows closed, but the leather was partly broken and missing
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PB+J »

PJ wrote:Thanks for sharing this.

Interesting to see that the lower hand tone holes on the chanter seem to have been extensively altered, redrilled, filled, etc. I wonder if this was typical of Taylors - part of the tuning - or was it done by someone else?

I saw that and wondered about it myself. I think I recall the An Piobaire article had more about the provenance of this set.


It was fun seeing these and also impressive--these were clearly robust and strongly durable and made to be played.

I'm working up explanations for why our family needs to get a set of pipes. My wife appears skeptical!
PB+J
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 5:40 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I'm a historian and the author of "The Beat Cop:Chicago's Chief O'Neill and the Creation of Irish Music," published by the University of Chicago in 2022. I live in Arlington VA and play the flute sincerely but not well

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PB+J »

Here are the last that I took:


Image

Image

Image
Tunborough
Posts: 1419
Joined: Sun Dec 05, 2010 2:59 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 10
Location: Southwestern Ontario

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by Tunborough »

Organology envy.
User avatar
RenaissanceGuy
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2018 9:00 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: I am interested in various forms of traditional and folk music. I've been interested in Uilleann pipes for many years. And now I'm finally learning them!
Location: US West Coast

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by RenaissanceGuy »

Interesting key on the windcap/chanter top.
User avatar
PJ
Posts: 5884
Joined: Tue Jan 18, 2005 12:23 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: ......................................................................................................
Location: Baychimo

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by PJ »

There's something odd about the chanter. The ivory (if it is ivory) has not aged the same as the ivory on the rest of the set, including the chanter top. Might it be bone or antler or something else?
PJ
User avatar
Nanohedron
Moderatorer
Posts: 38212
Joined: Wed Dec 18, 2002 6:00 pm
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Been a fluter, citternist, and uilleann piper; committed now to the way of the harp.

Oh, yeah: also a mod here, not a spammer. A matter of opinion, perhaps.
Location: Lefse country

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by Nanohedron »

PJ wrote:There's something odd about the chanter. The ivory (if it is ivory) has not aged the same as the ivory on the rest of the set, including the chanter top. Might it be bone or antler or something else?
There is a certain mixing of materials, isn't there. You see a touch of it on the baritone reg, too, but that's all there appears to be apart from what's on the chanter (which also appears to have a spot of what is clearly ivory as well). Rather than ivory, its translucent quality brings horn to mind.
"If you take music out of this world, you will have nothing but a ball of fire." - Tribal musician
User avatar
an seanduine
Posts: 1997
Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:06 pm
antispam: No
Location: just outside Xanadu

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by an seanduine »

I would hazard a guess that there are two classes of 'ivory' at play here: Marine Ivory and Elephantine Ivory, or even possibly Mammoth Ivory.
Not everything you can count, counts. And not everything that counts, can be counted

The Expert's Mind has few possibilities.
The Beginner's mind has endless possibilities.
Shunryu Suzuki, Roshi
geoff wooff
Posts: 633
Joined: Sat Apr 20, 2013 3:12 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Location: centre France

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by geoff wooff »

The chanter mounts are bone by the look of them.

The piece of cutlery on the bellows is there to make a front attachement for the arm strap.
User avatar
RLines
Posts: 325
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:05 am
antispam: No
Please enter the next number in sequence: 8
Tell us something.: Uilleann Piper. Gramophone Enthusiast. Piping Art Collector. Co-chair Pibyddion Uilleann Cymru. Board Member NPU.
Location: Glan y Fferi, Wales

Re: Got to examine a set of Taylor Pipes

Post by RLines »

Thanks for posting the photos. Interesting set. I grew up not far from the museum and have always intended to visit when home on family holidays but never have the time.

The set is clearly the work of more than one maker, and some of the bits are definitely not Taylor. Although the chanter could well be (although the top perhaps not). The Taylors (and some other early American makers) often used bone for chanter mounts rather than ivory, or a mix of bone and ivory. Hence the different 'look' of the chanter decorations and the rest of the set, as Geoff points out.

The ivory work on the reg mounts is certainly not Taylor. Much too crude, and lacks their sense of artistry. Whether that has any deeper significance for the provenance of the regs themselves is hard to tell (the mounts could be replacements). However the bass reg keys are certainly not as artful and symmetrical as one would expect from Taylor, which makes me think that reg (at least) is by another maker.

The bellows have the end of a silver spoon tacked on for decoration, which (while imaginative!) I can't imagine the Taylors themselves doing. The bellows for my set are certainly cutlery free!.

The old reeds are cool. Bet they still work too.

Likely a combination of makers from the period. I've heard the Mercer Museum set came via Hutton, so perhaps a mix of original Taylor bits and Hutton's own work? Nice stuff.

Rick
My Twitter: @FerrysidePiper
My YouTube
Club Twitter: @UilleannCymru
Post Reply