A short History of the Pipe and Tabor in Scotland

 

by Pete

"He saw her dance . the Spaines pavie to a whissill tabourier" 1 1599

It appears that the term 'tabor' was used as the name for the player from the 1400's to 1600's. However,
there are over 25 different spellings for the word tabor in the Scottish language. 2

Many of the pipe and tabor players who entertained at court and in grand houses are recorded in Scottish
Royal Treasury Accounts:

"Whissillis for tabernaris, the dozen xx s." were purchased in 1610 3 ;

the payment of £42.0d was made to Guillam, taubronar, to buy himself "quissillis" in1506.
[Whissillis, quissillis 4 may be pipes or whistles]

Therefore there is a possibility that the earliest mention of a pipe and tabor player in Scotland is
Stephano Taburner 5 in 1330.

Taborers were regular court entertainers in the time of James IV, King of Scotland, between 1488 and 1513.
He encouraged musicians from Europe as well as local pipe and taborers to play at Court and during his visits around Scotland.

'1489: 4 May: 28.0d to Pringill, to mend his tabor.
1492: 6 March, at Stirling: gift of 27.0d to the taborer that played to the king, and the rope-dancer with him'.
28th March(Easter) 1497 36.0d was paid to 'William and Pais, taborers, and a rope-dancer with them.'

[Rope-dancing was a popular entertainment, which involved dancing on a slack-rope.]

A taubronar angel sculpture at Rosslyn Chapel, Midlothian, could be one of the many players whose
names appear regularly in the Royal Treasurers Accounts. This sculpture is one of a group of musicians
which were probably carved around 1470/80. There is a drawing of it in 1839 (by Dalyell); the wrist
bells were missing and must have been 'restored' when all the carvings were redone in 1861. This
photograph was taken in the late 20th century.

1501 6s. 8d. paid from the royal coffers to " a strange taborer."

From ‘The Story of the Bagpipe’ Page 82 The Music Story Series Edited by FREDERICK J. CROWEST.

In 1502 a string of payments was made to taborers some of whom were regularly given payments:
"14.0d each to Adam Boyd, Ansle, William, John Portuous and a taborer of Leith, taborers.

8 February: gift of 42.0d to the men that brought in the Morris dance, and to their minstrels.

20 July: 42.0d to Ansle, taborer, to buy himself a new tabor. "

The 'Moorish taborer' was one of the most renowned of the Court taborers who appers to travel with the King:

"1503 14 June: 14.0d to the Moorish taborer.
3 July, in Linlithgow: 14.0d to the Moorish taborer, to hire a horse to go to Stirling,
and to pay for his lodgings in Linlithgow.
Payment of £4.4.0d for a horse for the Moorish taborer, bought from Pete John, trumpeter.
5s.10d to the Moorish taborer, for his lodgings and expenses in Falkland."

These court taborers were obviously highly esteemed as considerable sums were spent on their livery, for example:

"be the Kingis command, to the Moryen taubronar
to pay for paynting of his taubroun, . xxviij s."
[to the Moorish taubronar 28 shillings for painting his tabor]

 Regular court pipe and tabor players had other duties including that of dancing master:

"1504 c3-7 February: [ Shrove Tuesday ]
payment of £13.2.10d for the coats and hose of twelve dancers
in an entertainment devised by the Moorish taborer against "Fasteringis Evin"

1506 "Item [the secund day of March], to Guilliem, taubronar,
lerand the Kingis dochtir to dans, be the Kingis command, ...... xviij s."
[ teaching the king's daughter to dance 18 shillings ]

"Item, to Guilliam, taubronar, lerand Lady Mergret in the Castell to dans, "
"Item To Guilliam, taubronar, for making of ane dans the tyme of the prince's birth
[ for choreographing a dance to celebrate the prince's birth ]

In addition to court and the local taborers brought in to play for special occasions there appear to have
been pipe and tabor players on board ships for royal visits:

1502 28 May: 14.0d to the taborers of the "Jacat".
[Jacat is the name of a ship; James IV was inspecting the fleet in the Firth of Forth]

1503 9 May: 14.0d to a taborer and a fiddler in Leith;
6.0d to the taborer of Robert Berton, in the ship;
c.30-31 May, in Leith: 7.0d to Quhynbore, the taborer there.

All these court musicians lost their posts (those who still had their lives) after the Battle of Flodden in 1513
which ended in victory for the English.

But local taborers were still around in the 16th century. Some are recorded as committing crimes: there was
a conviction of Guilliam Tawbronare for the killing of Patric Harpare in 1506, in Edinburgh. Sometimes
the pipe and tabor was used in church: in 1575 a complaint was made to the General Assembly that
the people of Dumfries had:

"brought their own reader with tabroun and whistle and caused him read the prayers" 6

The term for a drum changed from tabor to 'swasche' during the 16th century (1523 is the earliest I have so far found).
At first it was called the 'Swasche tabroun' and later just 'swasche'. This word derives from the military drum
introduced by Swiss mercenary soldiers across Europe. So payments were made in 1560:

"For playing vpone the swesche and quhissill befoir the nychbouris of this burgh twa dayis quhen thai wer in armorie"
[ For playing on the Swiss drum and whistle in front of the neighbours of this burgh for two days when they were in armour , that is, at the burgh muster, known in Scotland as 'weaponschaw']. 7

References to pipe and tabor players diminish during the 17th century after England and Scotland were united under
one King (English James I) and public entertainments were banned by the Puritans. Whenever they are mentioned
they are associated with alleged poor behaviour. In 1610 Richert Skowgall "thair commoun pyper and swascher"
was too playful and was indicted and accused of :

'drinkand and playand and gestand . all that nycht in the Tolbooth and upon the wall heid thairof"
[ drinking and playing and jesting all that night in the Tolbooth (prison) and on the top of the wall ]. 8

Pipe and swasch in Haddington in 1610; a local lawyer is being held in the Tolbooth and he invites his friends
in for a party which leads to them:

"drinkand and playand and gestand in Richert Skowgall thair common pyper and swascher with ye swasch and his pype as also Johne Grahame pyper"

John Dalyell in 'Musical Memoirs of Scotland', 1849, cites another two instances:
in 1624 'Thomas Smyth, 'whisler' was threatened with banishment for drinking and playing during divine service.
In 1688 the minister of Dalkeith was maliciously accused of 'dancing about a bonfire . with pipe and drum'

In the late 18th century the instrument survived, or at least was revived, in Banff in the north-east of Scotland.
This echos the popularity of the instrument in England and in France. Isaac Cooper advertised on 31st March 1783:

"Isaac Cooper, musician in Banff, returns his most grateful thanks to those who have employed him in the musical way, and begs leave to inform them that he still continues to teach the following instruments, harpsichord, violin, violincello, clarinet, psaltery, pipe and taberer ."

One has to wonder how many pupils he had. Sir Walter Scott (1771 - 1832) was certainly familiar with the pipe
and tabor as he mentions it in five books. Possibly he was not a fan as in 'Redgauntlet' (1824), when the blind fiddler
Willie, arrived late to play at a dance, he hears the sound of music:

"--Stay--hark--it 's no a fiddle neither--it's the pipe and tabor bastard, Simon of Sowport, frae the Nicol Forest; but I'll pipe and tabor him!--
Let me hae ance my left hand on his cravat, and ye shall see what my right will do."

Notes

1The Spanish Pavan 1599

.Ane Spryng of the Spanish Pavan is one of the tunes listed in the lost Straloch lute MS of c.1627, and it is also
in the Skene mandora MS, c.1630 {National Library of Scotland, NLS Adv. 5.2.15), where it is titled 'I Love
My Love for love again'. Spanish keyboard variation exist dating from 1546. It appears as The Spanishe Pavane'
in William Ballet's lute book, c. 1595, as well as at least 20 other sources [see Julia Craig-McFeely's thesis at http://www.ramesescats.co.uk/thesis/]. This was clearly a popular tune across Europe for 100 years. Two
different tunes with this title survive; the most familiar is in the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book II (John Bull,
The Spanyshe Paven , c. 1600); the other is in Arbeau's Orchesographieof 1589

According to Maria Dolmetsch in Dances of Spain and Italy1400-1600 , it 'goes at a lively pace, unlike
the stately solemn processional pavan'.

Memoirs of the Maxwells of Pollok. Fraser, Sir William; 2 vols., Edinburgh, 1863

2The Dictionary of the Scots Language lists at least 25 different spellings

3 B' Whissillis for tabernaris, the dozen xx s.;' The Book of Customs and Valuation of Merchandises in Scotland,
1612. In Ledger of Andrew Halyburton, Conservator of the Privileges of the Scotch Nation in the Netherlands,
1492-1503. Series of Chronicles and Memorials (General Register House) H.M. General Register House, Edinburgh,
1867. pp 332. MS NAS E76/3. pp 279-341. MS NAS E76/3. (DOST Lib.)

4Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland (Compota thesaurariorum Regum Scotorum) Balfour Paul,
Sir James, Edinburgh, Vol II (1877). Vol III, 1506/7 .

5The Exchequer Rolls of Scotland, 1264-1600

6Musical Memoirs of Scotland , Dalyell, John, Edinburgh, 1849

7Extracts from the Records of the Burgh of Edinburgh, 1403-1589. Marwick, J.D. (ed.); 4 vols., BRS,
Edinburgh, 1869-82III 63

7 Haddington Burgh Records, cited in "Secular Music in the Burgh of Haddington 1530-1640" McGavin, John,
in Music and Musicians in renaissance Cities and Towns , Kisby, F, 2001

The Glen Collection of Scottish Dance Music , vol. 1,

For examples of quisselles: dictionary of the older Scottish Tongue
http://www.celtscot.ed.ac.uk/dost/index.html

? 1387 " And they Scotlond the douzter of Irlond use harpe, tymbre, and tabour, [and wales useth harpe and pipe and tabour]." Dictionary of Middle English Musical Terms
May 1504 Robert Barton was a shipowner who supplied timber for the king's shipbuilding. He had a taubronar on his ship [
Information on the African taborer, More, here
1505/06 Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland: 3 taborers are listed as receiving regular payments from the king: More taubronar; Ansle, taubron; Guilliam, taubronar. Around the same time the Queen had a baby “The midwife who attended the queen got £7, and the nurse £14 ; Guilliam, the taubronar, who arranged a dance in honour of the occasion, received £4, 4s In 1506 two more taborers also received regular payments - Adam Boyd, taubronar; Quhynbore, taubronar. During these two years other taborers were given one-off payments: Item, to Johne Murrayis taubronar Item, for x cine chamlol to ane cote to the Franch knychtis taubronar Item, the xij day of December, in Cummirnald, to Lord Flemyngis taubron Item, to the Beschop of Murrayis taubronar Item, the xix day of October, in Dignewaill, to ane harpar, ane gunnar, and ane taubronar 3 other unnamed taborers 'Accounts of the Lord High Treasurer of Scotland = Compota thesaurariorum Regum Scotorum' by Scotland. Treasurer; Great Britain. General Register Office (Scotland); Scottish Record Office
1516 During his minority James V's household was, of necessity, rather small.  The young king was well dressed, provided with a mule to ride and had his own minstrel, James Graham, a tabourer. ‘Renaissance Culture at the Court of James V, 1528-1542’ by Andrea Thomas, 1997, page 46
1548 poem ‘The Complaynt of Scotland : written in 1548 ; with a preliminary dissertation, and glossary’ by Leyden, John ed, 1801
1596 “The commoun corruptiouns of all Estates within this realme” “And great number of idle persons without lawfull calling, as pypers, fidlers, sangsters, sorners, pleasants, strang beggers, living in harlotrie, and having thair children unbaptizit…” Acts and Proceedings of the General Assemblies of the Kirk of Scotland, 1560-1618
25 July 1612 “Mathow Thomesoun, Hieland man, fidler, being apprehendit upone suspicioun of forceing of young damesell, …finding him ane idill vagabound, ordanis him to be laid in the stokes…” Records of the Burgh of Glasgow Vol. 1, 1573-1642. Originally published by Scottish Burgh Records Society, Edinburgh, 1914.
1617 “…The taborer and whistler of James, earl of Abercorn, attended the youths at the morris dance (morris dancers and `Heilandmen' with torches) in Edinburgh Castle when there were fireworks for James 1 on 19 June 1617 ...” Accounts of the Masters of Works for Building and Repairing Royal Palaces and Castles. Volume 11 :1616-1649 . Ed John Imrie and John G . Dunbar . Issued under the direction of the Keeper of the Records of Scotland . Edinburgh : HMSO, 1982 .
1665-1666 Edinburgh Accounts : “To William Clark, tabrounor, Jhonn Dow, phiphes, for thair playing befoir the toun be the space of thre dayis.” ‘FOR PLAYING UPON THE SWESCHE AND QHISSILL PART THREE THE ALMANY QUHISSIL’ by Pete Stewart, 2020
1688 Musical Memoirs of Scotland: With Historical Annotations John Graham Dalyell, ·1849 page 154
1754 Advertisement in the Caledonian Mercury: July 15th 1754 advertisement also in Edinburgh Evening Courant
1772 Epithalamium on the Marriage of the Earl of StrathmoreThe Scots Magazine - Saturday 01 February 1772
1778Caledonian Mercury - Saturday 08 August 1778
1781 essay ‘0f the Effects of Music on the Character of Nations’ by the Rev, Mr Sherlock. “…I am, first: of all, fully satisfied that of all the arts, music gives the most universal pleasure ; … the English peasant rejoices in his pipe and tabor ;…” The Weekly Magazine, or Edinburgh Amusement 1781-09-13: Vol 53
1783 Aberdeen Press and Journal - Monday 31 March 1783
1789 poem “The pipe and tabor, violin and harp, When dance and merriment occasion yield, Cheer his glad soul; the boards resound the time; Twin'd with the jumping lass with springing He skims and floats, with ease, along the floor; Graceful his step, in every feature joy; “ .... The Scots Magazine 1789-05: Vol 51	1793 poem “…Or fore or aft, to dancing quick repair; Hornpipes and jigs in motley measures meet, All fresh from Wapping or Virginia street, Where to the "wry neck'd fife" or broke tabor, Our tars are wont to learn in dance to labour,…” The Bee; or Literary Weekly Intelligencer, consisting of original pieces, and selections from performances of merit, foreign and domestic; a work calculated to disseminate useful knowledge among all ranks of people at a small expence: volume 13, page 253, Edinburgh
1799 medical essay ‘Number second, being remarks on the first volume of Mr. Benjamin Bell's system of surgery. by Jonathan Dawplucker, Esq.’ 1799' by Barclay, John, M.D., of Edinburgh.
1804 seller of all sorts of goods: Aberdeen Press and Journal - Wednesday 23 May 1804
poem by John Galt
1807 story ‘The Downhill! of Life - a Vision’ “…a pipe and tabor struck on her she looked on one side, and in a green lane beheld several lovely shepherdesses with their swains dancing while their flocks peacefully grazed by their side. “The scene appeared at once cheertul and innocent….” Walker's Hibernian Magazine, Or, Compendium of Entertaining Knowledge 1807-05
1814 a one-person band, Signor Rivolta, tours Scotland Inverness Journal and Northern Advertiser - Friday 11 February 1814
1817 story 'FRAGMENT OF A LITERARY ROMANCE. ' “…Others were employed in dancing ; but the figure was unlike any thing I had ever seen before, being half-flying, half-hopping ; whilst their musician, a gay little gentleman, with his pipe and tabor, sat in the air…” Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine 1817-08: Vol 1 Iss 5
1822 story ‘The Levee and Drawing-Room’ “…We might as well, in speaking of the preparations of the municility of Edinburgh, have taken occasion to mention how the Lord Provost, Magistrates, and Council came dancing down the street to the jocund sound of the pipe and tabor, when the learned King Jamie graced their banquete…” Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine vol XII
1825 The Scotsman - Wednesday 27 July 1825
1825 Bible commentry‘Illustrations of the holy scriptures. 3. From the customs and manners of ancient and modern nations’ by George Paxton
1828 a one-person-band performs in Inverness Inverness Courier - Wednesday 03 September 1828
We Love the Shrill Trumpet - by Sir Walter Scott “…If there 's mirth in our house, 't is our neighbor that shares it— If peril approach, 't is our neighbor that dares it; And when we lead off to the pipe and the tabor, The fair hand we press is the hand of a neighbor….”
1834 poem ‘A Legend of St Anthony’ 'The literary life, and miscellanies, of John Galt : in three volumes' ; 2 by Galt, John
1834 marionettes: 'Street Exhibitions in London' ‘Chambers' Edinburgh Journal 1834-03-15: Vol 3 Iss 111’
1841 poem 'DRUMNAGARROW''Poems and Songs' by John Imlah	1841 poem 'Fragments': “…Music's blithest voice invites us, Rapture's sweetest thrill excites us. While the pipe and tabor play, Trip away! Trip away I…” 'Poems and Songs' by John Imlah, page 77
1844 newspaper political essay ‘The State of Parties’Glasgow Courier 09 July 1844
1848 newspaper political commentArbroath Guide 19 February 1848
1849'Musical Memoirs of Scotland: With Historical Annotations' by John Graham Dalyell ·
1849 Plough Monday ‘sometimes the old-fashioned pipe and tabor, which have been blown and beaten by the descendants of the same family, through many generations,, are called in to awaken the sleeping echoes of winter.... They are followed by pipe and tabor, fiddle -and drum.... While writing, the scene rises before the eye as distinctly as when in our boyish days, above twenty years ago, we stood a happy spectator, regardless of winter.... Then pipe and tabor, and drum and violin, were mite for several minutes, and all the sound heard, excepting an occasional huzza, was like that of a dozen horses, crunching and feeding together.... no one came; drum. tabor, pipe, and violin thundered and screamed in vain.... Such abuses, however, we doubt not, have been instrumental in abolishing these old and useless customs. What we have here presented is a faithful portraiture of rural England only twenty years ago; and there are still, we believe, a few green quiet corners in our island, where Plough Monday is kept up in the present day....’ Glasgow Herald - Friday 05 January 1849 1849 chimney sweeps procession with Jack-in-the-Green: newspaper report 'From Our Private Correspondent'Inverness Courier 10 May 1849 1851 speech by Mr Sheriff Gordon at the Edinburgh School of Arts: Edinburgh Evening Courant - Saturday 19 April 1851 1855 Custom of greeting strangers with the pipe and tabor: Caledonian Mercury - Wednesday 26 December 1855 1878 poem ‘The Gascon O’Driscol’Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine 1889 poem 'Top of the Hill'Dundalk Herald - Saturday 14 December 1889 1892 newspaper advertisement: Aberdeen Free Press - Monday 02 May 1892 1894 poem 'Thirty Bob a Week' by John Davidson “…I mean that having children and a wife, With thirty bob on which to come and go, Isn't dancing to the tabor and the fife: When it doesn't make you drink, by Heaven! it makes you think, And notice curious items about life….” spelling of ‘tabor’ up to 1700 ‘Dictionaries of the Scots Language’, subdictionary Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue: Taburn(e, Tabo(u)r, n. Also: tabern(e, tab(b)orn(e, tabro(u)n(e, tabrowne, tabouryne, tauburn(e, taubroun, ta wbern(e, tawbero(u)n, tawbron, talburn, talborne, talbrone, talbroun, talberone, tabar( e, taber, tabuir, talbert, tabret, tambour. [ME and e.m.E. tabour (c1290) taber (1325) tabourn (1330-40) taburn (a1340) taberett (a1377) tawburn (c1400) tambour (Caxton) tabbern (1559-60) OF tabur, tabour(in, tambour, med. L. taburna

 

(added to and edited by Frances)

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