Richard Mowat or Mowatt (1865–1936) was an award-winning player of the

Northumbrian smallpipes The Northumbrian smallpipes (also known as the Northumbrian pipes) are bellows-blown bagpipes from Northeastern England, where they have been an important factor in the local musical culture for more than 250 years. The family of the Duke of ...

Biography

A miner, born in Backworth in 1865, Mowat studied the pipes with

Thomas Todd Thomas Todd (January 23, 1765 – February 7, 1826) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1807 to 1826. Raised in the Colony of Virginia, he studied law and later participated in the founding of Kentucky, ...

, and played in public alongside Old Tom Clough at a concert in 1880. In a competition that December, won by Todd, Mowat was the only beginner to enter, and was awarded a prize of three guineas. In 1882, he entered the open class, and placed second, behind Todd, winning four guineas. He won the Northumbrian Small Pipes Society's piping competitions for three successive years 1894-6, and was subsequently barred from competitions. That society was short-lived, between 1893 and about 1899. In this period it awarded two pipers its Gold Medal; one was Mowat, and the other was Henry Clough. There are several photographs of him in the Cocks Collection; these can be viewed at. Although Mowat, like his younger contemporary

Tom Clough Tom Clough (1881–1964), known as "The Prince of Pipers", was an English player of the Northumbrian pipes, or Northumbrian smallpipes. He was also a pipemaker, and the pipes he made with Fred Picknell include several important innovations, an ...

, had studied the pipes with Thomas Todd, he evolved a very different style from the Cloughs' close-fingered playing. He had, contrastingly, an unusual fingering style, occasionally lifting several fingers at a time, and sometimes his entire right hand, particularly on long notes in slow airs, such as ''Roslin Castle''. He was evidently not penalised in competitions for this, as he would be today. Archie Dagg considered Mowat to be one of the best pipers ever, citing his playing of another slow air, "

Caller Herrin' "Caller Herrin is a Scottish song, the music by Nathaniel Gow (1763–1831), and the words by Carolina Nairne (1766–1845). History "Caller herrin means fresh herring. It was the traditional cry of Fishwife#Newhaven, Newhaven fishwives, who c ...

". Despite their differing personal piping styles, Mowat and the Cloughs often played together in sessions at 'The Willow Tree' and the Cloughs' home.

Billy Pigg Billy Pigg (1902 – 1968) was an English player of Northumbrian smallpipes. He was a vice-president and an influential member of the Northumbrian Pipers Society from 1930 until his death. Life and music He was born at Dilston Park, near Corbrid ...

learned from Mowat as well as from the Cloughs. In 1906, Mowat was one of the pipers who played on the occasion of the King's visit to the

Duke of Northumberland Duke of Northumberland is a noble title that has been created three times in English and British history, twice in the Peerage of England and once in the Peerage of Great Britain. The current holder of this title is Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of N ...

at Alnwick Castle; the others were Henry and Tom Clough, and the Duke's piper, James Hall. Mowat was chairman of the

Northumbrian Pipers' Society The Northumbrian Pipers' Society was founded to promote both types of Northumbrian bagpipes – the Northumbrian smallpipes and the half-long pipes, now generally known as the Border pipes. There had been several attempts to encourage the pipes a ...

from 1933 until his death in 1936. The Society's tunebook was first published at this time; the elaborate 9-strain variation set on ''Felton Lonnen'' in that book, distinct from both the

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

and

Clough Clough ( ; ) is a village and townland in County Down, Northern Ireland. It sits about 3 miles from Dundrum on the A2 between Newcastle and Belfast. The A2 continues via Downpatrick and the coast via Strangford and the Portaferry – Stran ...

versions, is taken from his own playing. His repertoire is known to have included Todd's composition ''The Barrington Hornpipe'', the variation sets ''Holey Ha'penny'' and ''Felton Lonnen'', and popular tunes such as ''The Bluebells of Scotland'', and ''The Last Rose of Summer''; on one occasion in 1889 he played this last tune as a duet with Henry Clough, while another piece they played together was ''Caller Herrin''. He was also regarded by his contemporaries as an expert reedmaker.

Footnotes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mowat, Richard 1865 births 1936 deaths Players of Northumbrian smallpipes