On Sunday 26 November Napier’s Sound Shell will be host to the two HB Pipe Bands. The programme will feature the HB Caledonian PB and the Napier Pipe Band playing their music and combining for some special items.
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Napier RSA Concert November 2023
We’ll be presenting our concert on Sunday 19 November at the Napier RSA. Here’s the concert programme:
Band:
Scotland the Brave bracket
My Home/Skye Boat Song/Maori Canoe Song
Green Hills of Tyrol & When the Battle’s O’er
The Crags of Tumbledown Mountain/King Charles III
Loch Lomond/Blue Bells of Scotland/Bonnie Lass o’ Fyvie O’
On the Road to Passchendaelle/Land of My Youth/My Home Town
Group 1 – Slow air & jigs: Mermaid Song/Banjo Breakdown/Paddy’s Leather Breeches
Group 2 – Slow air & marches: Morag of Dunvegan/Mhari’s Wedding & Heyken’s Serenade
Learners:
Dancers – Highland Fling
Small groups/solo items
Music Group
Dancers: Irish Jig or Sailors Hornpipe (tbc)
Band with Music Group
Amazing Grace
Flower of Scotland
Highland Cathedral
Bells of Dunblane
Hector the Hero
Auld Lang Syne
Finale: Scotland the Brave/Will Ye Now Come Back/ Scotland the Brave
Blossom Festival September 2023
On Saturday 23 September the Band will again be taking part in the Hastings Blossom Festival. This will be a combined band parade with HB Caledonian. The tune list is
M’hairis Wedding/Heykens Serenade
Teribus/Chorriechollies
Highland Laddie/Brown Haired Maiden/Barren Rocks
Green Hills/Battle is O’er
Scotland the Brave bracket
100 Pipers/Bonnie Dundee/Cock of the North
Kilworth Hills/Castle Dangerous
Thomas Sander bracket
Our practice will be at the HB Caledonian Band Rooms, Lyndhurst Rd, at 2.30pm on Sunday 10 Sept.
2023 AGM
On Monday 19 June the Band held its AGM at the band rooms.
Aaron Watt presided over the meeting:
Our award recipients were
Caledonian Society Cup (Most improved piper) Andrew Robertson
Bob Kite Trophy (Most improved drummer) Zac Awiah
Napier Pipe Band Trophy (Overall contribution) Aaron Watt
Outgoing Secretary Keith James and Committee member Marg Lumb were thanked for their contribution to the running of the band (Neville was standing in for Marg) while Richard Loan was thanked for his ongoing contribution as Musical Director.
AGM June 2023
NAPIER PIPE BAND INCORPORATED
NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
In accordance with clause 14 of the Band’s Constitution, notice is hereby given that the Annual General meeting of Napier Pipe band Incorporated will be held at the Band rooms, Nelson park, on Monday 19th June 2023 at 7.30 p.m. A provisional agenda is available on the Members page ; a final agenda will be circulated prior to the meeting with the various reports for your perusal. Please send apologies to kerrjames@xtra.co.nz, or by telephone to 843 9591,
Napier Divercity Event June 2023
Napier’s Soundshell is the place to be on Saturday 17 June, as Napier celebrates its many multi-cultural communities in style. The Band will be playing at 11.20 just after the official opening. Come along and support us as we present our music and culture to the public.
February 2023 Update
Hi to members,
The sun does feel good. Our thoughts go out to members affected by the cyclone. I hope everyone is okay.
We have made the decision to cancel practice this week. People need a period of rest, or to concentrate on other more important matters. We will resume the following Monday 27Feb. For similar reasons we are leaving the concert for a while. This will give us time to organise it properly and communicate with other organisations who might like to participate.
I look forward to catching up next week.
Richard
Ian Mansfield
The Band has farewelled another of its Life Members, Ian Mansfield.
Ian started learning at the age of 11 and quickly developed his piping skills, progressing to competing to a high standard in A grade solo competitions.
He became Pipe Major of the Napier pipe band at the age of 19, taking the band to many provincial and national contests, and leading the band at all the events pipe bands get involved in. He was made a life member of the Band in recognition of his contribution over so many years.
Ian’s focus wasn’t limited to the Napier band, he contributed over many years to the pipe band movement here in Hawkes Bay, helping various bands to reach Grade 2 and 1 standards.
He was well known in the pipe band world, judging solo and band competitions both in piping and also ensemble. He was regarded as a very experienced and fair judge.
Most importantly Ian was an able and willing teacher of many people, encouraging and supporting them in an age when there were numerous piping competitions for them to be involved in – many of his pupils are still playing today.
Ian made a big contribution to pipe bands in HB and we have been privileged to have known him. We are grateful for the talents and skills he shared with us. We extend to his wife, Barbara, and all of the Mansfield family our condolences
Art Deco Concert Feb23
The Band is staging it’s 2023 Art Deco Concert on Saturday 18 February at 2.30pm. The venue is the St Paul’s Church, Tennyson St. The following is the tune list for the concert:
Green Hills & When the Battle’s O’er
Morag of Dunvegan
Scotland the Brave bracket
Leaving of Liverpool bracket
Thomas Sander bracket
Wings bracket
Mhari’s Wedding & Heyken’s Serenadee
The following tunes will be played with the music group
Highland Cathedral
A Love Song for Deborah Anne
Hector the Hero
The Wellerman
Castle Dangerous/Land of My Youth
Amazing Grace
Flower of Scotland
Scotland the Brave
Bus times from Nelson Park to St Paul’s: 10:45 & 11:15 for the morning parades and 1:30pm & 2pm for the concert.
The bust will do return trips Saint Pauls Church to Nelson Park from 4pm.
Note to band members – we will be practicing at the church on Monday 13th at 7pm. Click here for details of the music arrangements.
Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne (“for old times sake”) preserves old friendships and looks back at the events of the past. It brings a sense of belonging and fellowship tinged with nostalgia, celebrated by those gathered together in a circle by crossing their arms, and linking by clasping the hands of those next to them, singing
“And there’s the hand of my trusty friend,
And give us a hand of yours,
And we’ll take a deep drought of goodwill, For long, long ago”.
This is a tradition handed down by families of Scottish descent well worth treasuring and sharing.
“Auld Lang Syne”, traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve, may also be heard at funerals, graduations, and as a farewell or ending to other occasions; for instance, many branches of the Scouting movement use it to close jamborees and other functions.
Robert Burns wrote the text of the poem in 1788 but used an older Scottish folk song which he “took down from an old man.” As for the melody, which was not the original one for the poem, it is a pentatonic Scots folk melody and was likely played at a faster more dance-like tempo.
Singing the song on Hogmanay or New Year’s Eve is a Scots custom that has spread around the world as folk from the British Isles took the song with them.
Auld Lang Syne
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot
And the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
And surely you will buy your cup
And surely I’ll buy mine
We’ll take a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
We two have paddled in the stream
From morning sun till night
The seas between us Lord and swell
Since the days of auld lang syne
For old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should old acquaintance be forgot
For the sake of auld lang syne?
For old acquaintance be forgot
And never brought to mind
Should old acquaintance be forgot
In the days of auld lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear
For auld lang syne
We’ll drink a cup of kindness yet
For the sake of auld lang syne
We twa hae run about the braes
And pu’d the gowards fine
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary foot
Sin auld lang syne