World Pipe Band Championships
The World Pipe Band Championships is a pipe band competition currently held in Glasgow, Scotland every August. The event has been operating regularly since 1930, when the Scottish Pipe Band Association (today known as the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association) was formed. For competitive bands, the title of World Champion is highly coveted, and this event is seen as the culmination of a year's worth of preparation, rehearsal and practice.
Until 2013, the entirety of the World Championships has taken place on one day in August, the current venue being Glasgow Green. Typically several hundred bands attend, traveling from all over the world. Competition commences at 9AM. Depending on the size of the grade - or in the case of Grade One, where a band has not previously secured automatic qualification - bands are required to perform in a qualifying round which takes place in the morning. The top bands at the end of the qualifying round play in a second event in the afternoon to determine the winner.
To win, Grade One bands must perform in two events, a March, Strathspey & Reel event (known as a "set" or "MSR") which consists of three pre-arranged tunes, and a Medley event, which consists of a short selection of music chosen and arranged by the band.
Currently holding the title is the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band from Northern Ireland, which won five out of ten competitions from 2002 to 2011 and retained the title in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
New Format
Starting in 2013, the World Championships will be held over two days.[1] For all but Grade One bands, the competition will remain as it previously was, with each grade competing in morning qualifiers and afternoon finals on either Saturday or Sunday. For Grade One, all the bands (there will be no more automatic qualifiers for the finals) will be required to compete in a qualifying round on Saturday, playing an MSR and a Medley. The 12 bands that qualify for the finals will then play a different MSR and Medley in Sunday's final for the championship.
In 2014, the schedule was changed to hold the Grade 1 qualifying rounds on Friday, and the Grade 1 finals along with the lower grade qualifiers and finals on Saturday.[2]
Competition grade system
Prizes at the World's are awarded in the following eight categories:[3]
- Grade One
- Grade Two
- Grade Three "A"
- Grade Three "B"
- Juvenile
- Grade Four "A"
- Grade Four "B"
- Novice Juvenile
In the Novice Juvenile and Juvenile categories, band members must be under the age of eighteen, with the exception of one "adult" player, often instructors, who may serve as the Pipe Major or Pipe Sergeant. The remaining categories have no age restriction, but are based on proficiency. Grade One is the highest of these categories, and Novice is the lowest. Grading and eligibility are overseen by the RSPBA, and bands must apply for downgrading or upgrading.[4]
Because of time constraints, the RSPBA uses "A" and "B" designations in Grade 3 and 4, for major competitions. By doing this, bands are grouped based on prior-years' performances, and can receive promotions within their respective grade. It is also important to note that these vary slightly throughout the world. For example, in North America, many regional associations have implemented Grade Five, an entry-level Grade, intended to help bands familiarize themselves with competition and in Australia, New Zealand and Northern Ireland there is no Novice grade at all. There is also no Juvenile grade in Northern Ireland.
World Pipe Band Championships Results
The highly coveted Grade One title remained in Scotland until 1987, when the Canadian 78th Fraser Highlanders Pipe Band became the first overseas band to win the award. In recent years, the title has travelled to Canada a further 6 times with Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, Northern Ireland 10 times with the Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band, Australia with the Victoria Police Pipe Band in 1998, and, the Republic of Ireland with the St. Laurence O'Toole Pipe Band in 2010. The most successful pipe bands in this competition remain the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band (known as City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band from 1912 to 1975) winning 20 times, and, the House of Edgar Shotts & Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band (winning fifteen times). Other multiple World Champions include the Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band (8 times), the Clan MacRae Pipe Band (8 times), and the Edinburgh Police Pipe Band (7 times).
Year | 1st place | 2nd place | 3rd place | |
2014 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Inveraray & District | St. Laurence O'Toole | |
2013 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Boghall & Bathgate | ScottishPower Pipe Band | |
2012 | Field Marshal Montgomery | ScottishPower Pipe Band | Simon Fraser University | |
2011 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | ScottishPower Pipe Band | |
2010 | St. Laurence O'Toole | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University [nb 1] | |
2009 | Simon Fraser University | Field Marshal Montgomery | St. Laurence O'Toole | |
2008 | Simon Fraser University | Field Marshal Montgomery | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | |
2007 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | |
2006 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | |
2005 | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | |
2004 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | |
2003 | House of Edgar - Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | |
2002 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | Shotts & Dykehead | |
2001 | Simon Fraser University | Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | |
2000 | Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | Simon Fraser University | |
1999 | Simon Fraser University | Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | |
1998 | Victoria Police | Shotts & Dykehead | Field Marshal Montgomery | |
1997 | Shotts & Dykehead | Simon Fraser University | Victoria Police | |
1996 | Simon Fraser University | Field Marshal Montgomery | Shotts & Dykehead | |
1995 | Simon Fraser University | Field Marshal Montgomery | Shotts & Dykehead | |
1994 | Shotts & Dykehead | Boghall & Bathgate | Victoria Police | |
1993 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Shotts & Dykehead | Boghall & Bathgate | |
1992 | Field Marshal Montgomery | Strathclyde Police | Victoria Police | |
1991 | Strathclyde Police | Polkemmet Grorud | Power of Scotland | |
1990 | Strathclyde Police | Power Of Scotland | ScotRail Vale Of Atholl | |
1989 | Strathclyde Police | Power Of Scotland | ScotRail Vale Of Atholl | |
1988 | Strathclyde Police | Simon Fraser University | 78th Fraser Highlanders | |
1987 | 78th Fraser Highlanders | Simon Fraser University | Strathclyde Police | |
1986 | Strathclyde Police | 78th Fraser Highlanders | Boghall & Bathgate | |
1985 | Strathclyde Police | Simon Fraser University | Polkemmet Grorud | |
1984 | Strathclyde Police | Shotts & Dykehead | 78th Fraser Highlanders | |
1983 | Strathclyde Police | Boghall & Bathgate | Shotts & Dykehead | |
1982 | Strathclyde Police | Boghall & Bathgate | Dysart and Dundonald | |
1981 | Strathclyde Police | Shotts & Dykehead | Boghall & Bathgate | |
1980 | Shotts & Dykehead | Strathclyde Police | Polkemmet Colliery | |
1979 | Strathclyde Police | |||
1978 | Dysart and Dundonald | Strathclyde Police | ||
1977 | Dysart and Dundonald | Strathclyde Police | Shotts & Dykehead | |
1976 | Strathclyde Police | |||
1975 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |||
1974 | Shotts & Dykehead | Dysart and Dundonald Pipe Band | ||
1973 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1972 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |||
1971 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | Shotts & Dykehead | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |
1970 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1969 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1968 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1967 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | Invergordon Distillery Pipe Band | |
1966 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | ||
1965 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1964 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |||
1963 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |||
1962 | 277 Btn. Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders | |||
1961 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1960 | Shotts & Dykehead | Bucksburn & District Pipe Band | ||
1959 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1958 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1957 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1956 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1955 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | |||
1954 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | Red Hackle Pipe Band | ||
1953 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1952 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1951 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | ||
1950 | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |||
1949 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |||
1948 | Shotts & Dykehead | |||
1947 | Bowhill Colliery Pipe Band | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | ||
1946 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |||
1945 - 1940 (No Championships were held during World War II) | ||||
1939 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | Glasgow Corporation Transport | Edinburgh Police Pipe Band | |
1938 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | Glasgow Corporation Transport | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |
1937 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |||
1936 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |||
1935 | MacLean Pipe Band | |||
1934 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1933 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1932 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1931 | Glasgow Corporation Transport | |||
1930 | Millhall Pipe Band | |||
1929 | Glasgow Corporation Transport | |||
1928 | MacLean Pipe Band | |||
1927 | MacLean Pipe Band | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | ||
1926 | Millhall Pipe Band | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | ||
1925 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1924 | Millhall Pipe Band | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | ||
1923 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1922 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1921 | Clan MacRae Society Pipe Band | |||
1920 | City of Glasgow Police Pipe Band | |||
1919 | Edinburgh City Police Pipe Band | |||
1918 - 1914 (No Championships were held during World War I) | ||||
1913 | 7th Battalion Highland Light Infantry | |||
1912 | 5th Battalion Highland Light Infantry | |||
1911 | 5th Battalion Highland Light Infantry | |||
1910 | 5th Battalion Highland Light Infantry | |||
1909 | Stonehouse Pipe Band | |||
1908 | 5th Battalion Highland Light Infantry | |||
1907 | 3rd Volunteer Battalion H.L.I. | |||
1906 | 1st Volunteer Battalion H.L.I. | Govan Police | 3rd Volunteer Battalion H.L.I. | Queen's R.V.B. (Royal Scots) -tied for 3rd |
Most Successful Bands
The following is a list of some of the most successful pipe bands at the world championships.
Place | Band | Wins | |
1 | Strathclyde Police Pipe Band | 20 | |
2 | Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band | 15 | |
3 | Field Marshal Montgomery Pipe Band | 10 | |
3 | Clan MacRae Pipe Band | 8 | |
3 | Muirhead & Sons Pipe Band | 8 | |
6 | Simon Fraser University | 6 |
Notes
- ↑ The results were originally announced with Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia in 3rd place, but the RSPBA website states that "Simon Fraser University from Canada took 3rd spot on an Ensemble Preference from 4th placed Boghall and Bathgate Caledonia. Unfortuately this was announced the wrong way around and we apologise to both bands for this error."
References
- ↑ World Pipe Band Championships 2013 - Two Day Format
- ↑ The Worlds 2014
- ↑ RSPBA - The Heart of the Pipe Band World
- ↑ RSPBA - The Heart of the Pipe Band World
- World Pipe Band Championship 2012. World Pipe Band Championship, 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/Pages/home.aspx>.
- "World Pipe Band Championships 2011." BBC News. BBC, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/worlds/2011/>.
- "The Worlds 2011 - Results." The Worlds 2011. World Pipe Band Championship, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/about/latest-news/pages/The-Worlds-2011---Results.aspx>.
- "World Pipe Band Championships and Piping Live." See Glasgow. Seeglasgow.com, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www2.seeglasgow.com/piping/portal.htm>.
- "Glasgow Green." Piping Live! Pipinglive.co, 2011. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.pipinglive.co.uk/venues/glasgow-green/>.
- "Latest News." The World Pipe Band Championships. The World Pipe Band Championships, 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2012. <http://www.theworlds.co.uk/about/latest-news/pages/Glasgow-Wins-Bid-to-Host-The-Worlds-until-2015.aspx>.
External links
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