Hameed Shaqq
click pic.
www.blackincanada.com
http://www.blackincanada.com/category/arts-and-culture/music/page/6/
=========================================================================
1313 Queen st.west
Toronto, ON
ph: 13657782432
alt: 13657782432
hameedsh
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Hameed Shaqq
Pan Piper of Toronto
Dear Hameed,
We were delighted to have worked with you at the Commonwealth Games Canada on March 5, 2011. The Commonwealth public relations department has sent us these official comments and we would like to share them with you.
PAN PIPER OF TORONTO:
On behalf of Commonwealth Games Canada, I'd like to thank Shaqq Hameed--a.k.a "the Pan Piper of Toronto"--for sharing his amazing steel-drum talents with us during the reception and banquet at our Annual General Meeting. Shaqq provided an upbeat, sunny soundtrack for our celebration. All of us (and, in particular, our staff member from Trinidad and Tobago), were delighted with the Caribbean flavour he brought to the event. Despite the drizzly March weather in Toronto, it was almost as though all of us had journeyed south for Carnival.
Christine A. Robertson
Finance Officer
Commonwealth Games Association of Canada
Kindly yours,
Carol Priest
Creative Director
================================================================================
OUR JOURNEY AND BACKGROUD ON PAN
Since the abolition of Slavery in the British West Indies especially in Trinidad more than two hundred years ago, the Steel Pan Instrument became the most influencial symbol of a people's expression of freedom and the Emancipation from Slavery. In my view, the instrument is a unique and ground-breaking invention that symbolizes a people's determination to express themselves by any means necessary. This strong determination is highlighted even, through their struggles, they stayed focus and attached to their culture and music.
The Steel Drum shows the transition between two different kind of Drums; the Skin Drums and the Steel Drum; the skin is one of Africa's oldest traditional , the steel drum is a modern day industrial artifact. The Steel Drum was created to transport chemicals such as petroleum, not to create a musical instrument.
In terms of Musical freedom of expression, the Steel Pan is an icon and should be hightlighted by an act of parliament as a national symbols and emblem.
The steel pan family of instruments presented a new orchestral expression in chamber and symphonic music and a new melodic instrument invented in 20th century.
It is also the only instrument configured in the circle of Fifths. The PanTuners became the magical leaders. There were widespread independent experimentation culminated in the use of steel drums ie; Biscuit and Oil metal Drums, especially in the 1940s. One factor worthy of mention and which led to the invention was the access to the metal barrels. The petroluem industry to its credit used their resources to encouraged the exclusive use of metal drums for the transportation of Crude Oil fromTrinidad, subsequently elminating the use of the wooden barrels. Then, when emptied these discarded steel drums became the main component in constructing the Steelpan instrument. This method of recycling was unheard of at the Time. These Steelpan Pioneers began this musical journey to enculture the world of music and a new Idaphone was added to the world of musical instruments, simply called a "Pan".
Each steel pan is fashioned from a steel drum whose surface has been sunk into a concave shape and divided into concentric rings of notes. The note surfaces are lightly struck with rubber-tipped mallets to produce the sound. Depending on the range of notes it produces, the steel-drum instrument can consist of a single drum (the soprano pan) or as many a six to twelve drums (the bass pans). The various steel pans cover the entire range of musical voices: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Played together, they constitute a steel band. Among the pioneers of steel pan, Ellie Mannette is generally credited with the creation of the alto steel pan, consisting of two drums, while Anthony Williams is known for the creation of the spider-web pattern of the original Tenor pan, this led to the development of the Soprano voice in the cycle of of fifths.
It is said, Pythagoras the Father of Mathematics from the 6th century BC, calculated or made popular the musical theories; namely the Cycle of fifths. The only musical Instrument made in this circular configuration is from a steel drum. The Sopranos is the only musical instrument ever constructed to follow this configuration in the practical cycle of 4th and 5th intervals. In general, the most important factor about this invention is, it forms and meet the criteria of the Symphonic Orchestra on its own. Traditionally, other musical instruments usually, must be in a combination to facilitate the symphony orchestral written music. These musical combination of instruments such as Woodwinds, Brass, Strings for centuries defined and was faithful to the establish Symphonic instrumentation of any type classical music. Evidently, the orchestra grew by accretion throughout the eighteenth and 19th centuries, but changed very little in composition during the course of the 20th century. With this history in mind, only the Steelpan family of instruments and without the traditional musical instruments, can perform any Orchestral Chamber music written by great Composers; Mozart, Chopin and others. Only a Steelband can be classified as an Orchestral Idaphone Symphony.
Team Caribana in the Winter Olympics
Copyright 2010 THE PAN PIPER. All rights reserved.
1313 Queen st.west
Toronto, ON
ph: 13657782432
alt: 13657782432
hameedsh