On April 1, 1905, Edmund Oliver Pilgrim, who was educated at Lodge School, Barbados, joined the staff of Queen's College, British Guiana. He was born in 1886 in Barbados from a family whose roots can be traced back to 19th century British Guiana and the spread of the Moravian denomination.
When EO Pilgrim joined Queen's College it was located at the "corner of Carmichael and Murray Streets, where the Bishops' High School for Girls now stands." In his article In 1905, he noted, "The main entrance, through which boys were not allowed, was in Carmichael Street, and there was a side entrance in Murray Street. There was an imposing tower, to the front, from which a good view of the city could be obtained. The stairs and the aisles between rows of desks were covered with fibre matting strips to deaden the many noises of a boys' school."
Pilgrim also recalled Samuel Web, the janitor, "with top hat and frock coat and long beard, always spick and span. He talked with hushed voice as if the place was holy. He was a part of Queen's College, and was proud of his job. There was nothing frivolous in anything he did, down to the ringing of the bell, the opening of the doors. He was always bemoaning the good old days of Principals Percival and Potbury."
EO 'Bogus' Pilgrim would himself become one of the legends of Queen's College. When Pilgrim joined QC, he was the second black person to hold such a position - the first was Peter McFarlane ('Peter Lam-Lam').
Pilgrim's career at QC would extend over five decades. He would act as the school's principal on several occasions, the first time being in 1919. It was Pilgrim who introduced the house system at the school.
He was also a sportsman, playing cricket for British Guiana in 1906 and in the 1920s was still playing for BGCC. In addition to becoming a legendary mathematics teacher, Pilgrim also made invaluable contributions to the development of music and the creative arts in Guyana. He died in 1970.
EO Pilgrim's contributions to Guyana's musical scene
In 1911, Pilgrim earned a BSc (Honours) degree in Physics. This not only attested to his intellectual capacity, it made him eligible to represent important British institutions in Guyana.
In 1917, as a result of the efforts of Ms Ivy Davis, LRSM, ARCM, the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music "consented to holding music theory examinations in British Guiana." The first honorary representatives for the examinations of the Associated Board were the Governor, Sir Charles Major and Mr T Pope. Pilgrim became the first 'local' honorary representative in 1925.
According to Kandasammy, in 1948, his home was the venue for the meeting that led to the creation of the British Guiana Music Festival.
His marriage to Enid Blanche Carrington produced six children, four of whom survived - Cicely, Phillip, Frank, and Bill. These siblings would make substantial contributions to Guyanese cultural life, especially in the field of music, across the 20th century and into the first decade of the 21st. The family's home on Carmichael Street (now the site of the Adult Education Institute) always had a piano - the first was a Brinsmead, followed by an Ellington and finally a Reisbach. The Reisbach which came to British Guiana in 1939 is still alive and well in Guyana.
Cicely Robinson (nee Pilgrim)
Like her father, Cicely was also engaged in education. In 1939, she established the first Montessori school in British Guiana. She also taught at Bishops High School.
Cicely was very active in the field of theatre and established a formidable reputation in the area of costume design. Her creativity was displayed on all the important stages in Guyana, from the Theatre Guild to the National Cultural Centre. She was also an accomplished director and actor. Her performance as the Mother Superior in Robert Narain's production of the Sound Of Music was memorable.
Philip Pilgrim
Philip's earliest piano tutor was Miss Winnie McDavid. By 1925, at the age of eight, he along with Walter Franker were top scorers in the 'First-Steps' examination of the Trinity College of Music. Other successful candidates in this examination were Claude Santos, Amy David, Ella Dummett, Zena Hart, William Watson, Agatha Croney, and Phyllis Taitt.
In 1934, Philip was the first Guyanese to win a scholarship to the Royal College of Music. He took up his scholarship in 1935. During his stay at the college, he was considered one of the 10 best soloists.
Philip, who died in 1944, left an indelible contribution to classical music in Guyana and the Caribbean. The music he composed for the Legend of Kaieteur (poem by AJ Seymour) is celebrated as a "rare example of classical music from the Caribbean." (Caribbean Beat, p 73). According to AJ Seymour, for the 1944 performance, Philip "wrote music for three pianos and a choir of 200 voices. He [Philip] played the central piano himself, but did not write down the music and rather played impromptu against the other two."
The un-scored third piano in this work could be seen as the influence of jazz improvisation that had started to make itself felt in European and American classical music circles in the '20s and '30s.
Philip's reputation as a pianist is unassailable. According to Snijders and Loncke, "few of his compositions remain - about six songs for Soprano and manuscripts for three or four piano solos."
Frank Pilgrim
Frank was a wordsmith. He established a reputation as an international journalist, serving as the West African correspondent for The Observer (United Kingdom) and as editor for important newspapers in Guyana.
On his return to Guyana in the early post-independence years, Frank served as Public Relations Officer for Prime Minister Forbes Burnham. He used that position of influence to encourage the destigmatization of masquerade bands. As a result of these efforts, masquerade bands became very visible in the welcoming ceremonies for visiting dignitaries. As Billy Pilgrim has noted, most of the visiting dignitaries during the 1970s had to walk between the legs of the stilt man and be greeted by Mother Sally.
Frank will always be remembered for his role in the mobilization of the international community for Carifesta 72 and his service to Caricom.
Frank was also a playwright with several one-act plays to his credit. He was known for his wit and for many years, he along with Carl Blackman, were contributors to the popular end-of-the-year radio programme No Big Ting!
William 'Bill' Pilgrim
Bill continues to make a contribution to many sectors of Guyana's musical life - choral, steel band, music theatre, and masquerade. He won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music in 1938 and started his studies there in 1939, although these were interrupted by World War II. He served with the Royal Air Force.
After graduating, Bill developed a career that has taken him around the world in many contexts. He has been a successful broadcaster, composer, choir director, music director, administrator, and cultural activist.
Bill has worked with the BBC and was one of the founding members of the television arm of the Jamaican Broadcasting Corporation. He composed the theme song for JBC-TV - Blessed By the Lord Are We.
His portfolio of compositions is substantial. He has composed such national and patriotic songs as Salute to Guyana, Let Us Cooperate for Guyana, Look to the Future, and I See a New Land. Among his compositions of classical music are Promenade, La Entrada, Reflections-s-s-s-s, and Romanza. He has also arranged many of Guyana's folk songs.
Bill's association with choral music spans many decades. In the United Kingdom he conducted the Pilgrim Chorus on the BBC and was the director of the Dulwich Hamlet Choir. He has also conducted choirs in Canada and Germany. He currently conducts the Woodside Choir in Guyana.
He was the Musical Director of the Jamaica Amateur Operatic Society (now known as the Jamaican Musical Theatre) and in that position produced several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and American musicals.
His accomplishments as Musical Director in Guyana are distinguished. In 1970, he directed The Legend of Kaieteur. In that version he directed the performances of Ray Luck, Rosemary Ramdehol, and Lynette Dolphin. In 1972, he again directed The Legend of Kaieteur. This time around he used two pianos, a choir, and the Invaders Steel band.
Bill also composed music for and directed several of the innovative concerts and shows produced during the 1970s and early 1980s to celebrate the birthdays of President Forbes Burnham. Among the productions that received critical acclaim were A Span of Time (1976), Pride of Heroes (1978), Purchase (1979), The Yard (1981), and Celebration 83 (1983).
Bill's work as an arranger and director of steel bands started with his job as the Public Relations Officer of Demba. The Demba Invaders was one of his department's assets, and he considers his association with the band as a very positive experience. In addition to working with the Demba Invaders he also worked with Rudy Bishop and the Chronicle Atlantic Symphony in preparation for a tour to Cuba.
After the nationalization of Demba, Bill was seconded to the National History and Arts Council. Here he was associated with several exciting projects including the execution of Guyfesta and along with his brother Frank in the effort to destigmatize and rehabilitate masquerade. One of Bill's contributions in this effort is the documentation of the vocabulary of masquerade dance. Owing to his work, this writer is now aware of masquerade moves such as 'The Stumble,' 'Lady Going to Market,' and 'The Donkey.'
One can call Bill Pilgrim a cultural ambassador as he has led Guyanese troupes to several Carifestas - in '76, '79, '81, '91, and '95.
Bill is concerned about the absence of an infrastructure to train musicians in Guyana. He is passionate about this as he feels that "music makes friends." He is saddened by the shortage of music teachers and the decline in the quality of musicality in the society. There has to be some correlation between this decline and the current coarsening of Guyanese society.
So, since 1905, the Pilgrim family has made a solid contribution to Guyana's cultural life. This family's core values have been optimism, responsibility, chivalry, and duty. It has been part of or has witnessed many of the architectonic moments in the intersection of cultural and political life in Guyana. A deeper exploration of this intersection is necessary for an understanding of Guyana's past, and is required if we are to chart an optimistic and sustainable future.
In 1947, The British Guiana Teachers' Association established the Philip Pilgrim Memorial Harp in memory of "the gifted pianist and composer Philip Pilgrim." Only students with the highest grades at the Associate Board examinations are eligible for this award. In 2003, Bill Pilgrim received a Wordsworth McAndrew Award from the Guyana Folk Festival for his contributions to Guyana's cultural life. His nation has also invested him with one of its highest awards - the Cacique Crown of Honour.
Sources
Telephone interview Vibert Cambridge (Athens, OH) and Bill Pilgrim (Georgetown, Guyana), September 24, 2005
Guyana Music Teachers' Association 50th Anniversary Souvenir Brochure (Guyana : Guyana Music Teachers' Association, 1998)
Lloyd Kandasammy A Brief History of the British Guiana Music Festivals (Part 1) Stabroek News, November 10, 2005
EO Pilgrim In 1905 QC Magazine (Georgetown, Guyana : Queen's College, 1949)
Jed Rasula Jazz as Decal for the European Avant-Garde in Heike Raphael-Hernandez (ed) Blackening Europe: The African American Presence (New York & London : Routledge, p 13-34)
Arthur and Elma Seymour Dictionary of Guyanese Biography (Georgetown, Guyana, 1985)
Herman Snijders and Joycelynne Loncke One Hundred Years of Classical Music in the Guianas: Selected Pieces for Pianoforte (Guyana : Development Research Unit for Music, University of Guyana, 2002)
Endless Vibrations: 250 Great Songs from the Caribbean Caribbean Beat No 69, Sept-Oct 2004, p 38-74
Trinity College of Music, Daily Argosy, December 25, 1924