by Jeannie Campbell , College of Piping,Glasgow
When the German composer Handel settled in England in the 18th century
he found he was unable to get flutes made to his requirements so he
brought over a German family of flutemakers, the Starcks, who settled
in London.
Succeeding generations of the family can be found in the London trade
directories, R.H.Starck, Silversmith in 1816, John Starck, Musical
Instrument Maker 1844, Charles Starck,Watchmaker 1857, Edward Starck,
Musical Instrument Maker 1865, Axel Starck, Merchant 1866, Starck
Brothers, Flute, Flageolet and Clarionet Makers 1874,Walter Starck,
Flutemaker 1889, John Starck, Music Seller 1900, and J.Starck and Son,
Musical Instrument Makers 1900.
Henry Starck (1845-1924) first
appeared in the 1889 directory as a
Musical Instrument Maker at 31 Drummond Crescent and 8 Werrington
Street N.W.
In 1920 the firm moved to 6 Kentish Town Road where it remained until
it last appeared in the directory of 1962.
A newspaper article from 1949 described an incident in the 1880s when
Queen Victoria's piper William Ross discovered a tiny shop in
Werrington Street, St Pancras, with the sign Henry Starck Flutemaker.
Ross tried to persuade Starck to work for him and left the shop a
disappointed man with memories of an indignant Cockney craftsman
shaking his bearded head.
'Bagpipes', Henry Starck told his wife that night,' he wanted me to
make bagpipes !'.
However Starck did agree to work for Ross, and when Ross died in 1891,
Starck continued the business and was followed by his son Albert Henry
(1874-1955) and grandson Henry Albert (1909-1989) who joined the firm
at the age of 14.
The Starck motto was 'the best is only good enough' and such was Henry
Albert's determination to preserve the family's reputation that, in the
absence of a son to carry on the family tradition, he closed down the
business when he retired. In a newspaper article in the 1950s Henry
Albert admitted that the memory of his grandfather throwing a set of
finished pipes on the fire because they did not meet his standard was
deeply etched in his mind.
"Craftsmanship," he was quoted as saying,"is something wrapped up in
the individual. It is putting into the work something so as to turn it
out as perfect as human hands can make it."
The late Mr Starck went on to state that Scots had lost the art of
craftsmanship, turning the art of making pipes into a factory operation
rather than keeping them products of the workshop. In the early 1900s
Henry Starck Snr. was involved with William O'Duane of Dungannon,
Ireland, in the development and manufacture of a new type of bagpipe,
which was advertised as the Dungannon, the forerunner to the'Brian
Boru' pipe.
This could be played on the march, had two complete chromatic scales
and was described as having been 'revived from the ancient Irish
bagpipe' and being'the most perfect bagpipe made'.
From 1908 onwards Henry Starck took out a number of patents on the
Brian Boru bagpipe and in 1910 issued a booklet addressed'To Bagpipe
Players':"In this little booklet I beg to bring to the notice of
bagpipe players and all who are interested in music, the advantages
which my patent Brian Boru Bagpipe possesses over all other bagpipes.
The Brian Boru Bagpipe is the only marching bagpipe in existence which
has a chanter possessing a complete chromatic scale ranging from E
natural to C sharp, or a third above and a third below the Scotch
chanter.
It is, therefore, able to play any music, as most music can be arranged
for the compass in which the Brian Boru is set.
It has three drones: Bass A,TenorA and Baritone E, which harmonise
perfectly with each other and with the chanter, the drones being in
fifths, the tone produced is equal in depth and mellowness to the tone
of an organ.
The scale, on account of its simplicity, can easily be learned in a few
hours, and the manipulation of the keys will come quite naturally after
a little experience. If an hour each day be devoted to practice, the
performer should, at the end of six months, be qualified to play
operatic and other selections with comparative ease.
Scotch pipers will, no doubt, wish to play the Brian Boru Pipes, and in
order that they may be able to do so without the trouble of being
compelled to learn a system of fingering different to that which they
have been accustomed to, I have designed a Brian Boru Chanter with the
fingering the same as that used on the Scotch Chanter, so that a
performer on the Scotch Pipes can, without the least difficulty, play
the Brian Boru Pipes also. This chanter has exactly the same compass as
the original Brian Boru Chanter.
If desired the Brian Boru Pipes can be had with the drones in the
Scotch style; though by having all the drones placed in a common stock
gives a much fuller and more perfect tone, and is, therefore,
recommended in preference to the Scotch style.
By having a Baritone E top, Scotch Pipes can be converted into Brian
Boru Pipes by simply removing the top of the centre A tenor drone and
putting in its place the Baritone E top."
An old Starck brochure in the College
museum gives the following prices for the Brian Boru:
Half Nickel mounted: £15 ($25US) Ful1 Nickel mounted: £17
($28US) Full Ivory mounted: £24 ($40US)
The prices have the following addition:"Any of the above models can be
supplied in ebonite with bores and sockets of the drones metal lined at
an extra cost of ($13US). Scottish system in above 15 shillings extra
in each case"
Although the Brian Boru was played by many Irish bands Starck continued
to make conventional Highland bagpipes as the Scots remained
unconvinced of the advantages of the Brian Boru.
In Canada's Piper and Dancer Bulletin of 1959, Starcks are described
as: "Famous among Britain's bagpipe makers since the reign of Queen
Victoria (the present Henry Starck's father was bagpipe maker to the
Queen's piper Pipe Major William Ross), Starck bagpipes have recently
been modif1ed and brought into line with the modern trend towards a
more slender chanter with more chromatic performance, coupled with
greater volume and finer tone.
Tested against many other makes, Starck bagpipes were recently chosen
by the Canadian Army as the best instrument for all regimental pipe
bands."
Charlie Wicks (1915-1988) and his brother John (born 1922) were the
sons of Grace Starck, a relative of Henry's, and both worked for
Starcks in the 1930s and1940s.
Charlie Wicks was later to make pipes under his own name.
The third Henry Starck was unmarried and had no son to follow him so
decided to close the business.
He retired to Devon where he died in 1989.
Les Cowell, founder of D Naill and Co, joined Starcks as an apprentice
pipemaker in 1947 earning £1 7/6 per week ($25US).
He left in 1953 to join the famous instrument makers Ruddall and Carte
(connected to the same Carte as in D'Oyly Carte Opera) where he learned
to make oboes, flutes, cor anglais and other woodwind instruments.
He later worked for Boosey and Hawkes before founding his own company.
Of Henry Starck the third, Les Cowell said:"Starcks always made very
good bagpipes and I don't mean just drones.
His chanters were ahead of their time.
I recently reeded up one made for Harry Denyer, Northern Ireland, in
the 50s and it sounded perfectly in tune to the modern pitch.
It wasn't accepted when it came out because it was probably too high
pitched.
In other words too close to concert Bb. They said he produced a bad
chanter but he didn't.
The great JB Robertson won the Bratach Gorm in London, I think it was
in l952 or'53, playing The Bells of Perth on a Starck chanter.
It has to be remembered that Henry Starck was first and foremost a
consummate musician.
He was a concert pianist and highly competent flautist. He was
meticulous in the finish he applied to his instruments.
His work was beautifully done. His workshop was as good a training
ground as anywhere in the world . . . including Scotland."
Jeannie Campbell is currently compiling a comprehensive book on
pipemakers.
If you have any information or old photographs you think may be of
assistance or interest please send it/them to her at the usual address
