How Emma Brown and a Cathedral Full of Bagpipes Changed the Sound of “Amazing Grace”
Amiens Cathedral was already full of musicians when Emma Brown began “Amazing Grace.” The bagpipes waited. For the first part of the hymn, the mezzo-soprano’s voice had the room to itself. Even on the recording, you can hear how much space she leaves between the phrases.
Pipe Major Tom Jamieson then took the tune, according to Brown’s account of the July 2018 service. A single pipe gave listeners a chance to hear the melody in a new register before the massed bands entered under Drum Major Derek Dean. There is enough space between those entrances to pick out all three sounds.
The handoff works because the melody stays easy to follow. Brown can shape it with breath and words. A pipe sustains the line differently, with its drone under the tune. Once the ensemble joins, a melody that sounded close and personal at the start can seem to come from the whole room.
The players were in Amiens for United Pipers for Peace, a weekend organized by Samarobriva Pipes and Drums. Brown puts the number of visiting pipers at around 400 across the gathering. The cathedral service was one part of a program that also took musicians into the city’s public spaces.
The timing mattered to the organizers. The gathering marked the centenary year of the First World War armistice. The city had hosted another United Pipers for Peace event in 2016, a hundred years after the opening of the Battle of the Somme. That earlier footage shows how the project connected remembrance inside the cathedral with music out in the square.
Start with Brown’s performance and listen for the first pipe. When the massed bands enter, the drums give the tune a more distinct pulse. It is a gradual change with a clear turning point, and the recording gives each stage room to register.
The pipers in Amiens in 2016
The 2016 footage shows pipe bands indoors and out in Amiens. The move from the cathedral to the square changes what the listener hears around the instruments. Inside, the sound lingers in the room. Outside, the movement of the players and the beat of the drums are easier to follow.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards play “Amazing Grace”
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards recording offers another way to hear what the pipes do with the hymn. Their version gives the instruments the lead throughout. Brown’s performance lets you hear the melody change character as it passes from singer to solo piper to ensemble.
