Norman Guy felt left out when his brothers joined the Muker Silver Band, so he signed up for himself in 1952, aged just 12. More than 70 years later, he conducted the band for the final time, just weeks before he died.
Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday for a special concert paying tribute to Norman in a marquee in the North Yorkshire village of Muker. About 50 players performed, from 12 different bands which have accompanied Muker over the years. More than £4,550 was raised for two charities, inspired by Norman’s grandchildren.
“He was a very quiet man and was involved in a lot of things in the community in the village and in upper Swaledale,” said Allan Guy about his father. As well as being “pivotal to the life of” the Muker Silver Band, he was a church warden, had worked in the village pub and painted local landscapes. “Band was his life, and he made sure that everything ran smoothly; he helped new players, young or old,” said Allan, 55.
Starting as a tenor horn player, Norman played a number of different instruments before later composing, arranging and conducting music. “Growing up, everything revolved around band,” Allan said. “Even family holidays, we had to fit in when there weren’t any concerts during the summer, or if there was, we had to come back for it.“
Saturday’s concert featured a selection of Norman’s compositions and arrangements. One piece was a solo arranged by Norman especially for his grandson, Phil Guy, to play on the trombone. Phil, 30, said the number of people at the concert was “incredible“. “It just blows your mind when you’re standing up on stage – particularly when I was introducing some of the pieces I conducted – looking out and it’s a sea of faces all here for one reason and it’s to remember my grandad.”
Phil is now a brass teacher and conducts a band in Scotland. He thanked his grandfather for his “whole life, really“. “I wouldn’t be doing what I do day in, day out if he hadn’t been doing this. I started playing the cornet when I was seven. “Without his inspiration and guidance, I wouldn’t be doing the job that I do.”
He said “a lot of people” playing in the concert felt the same. “He encouraged everybody and pushed everyone to do their best all the time. And led by example, just quietly, easily doing everything.”
The concert raised more than £4,550, to be split between the Stroke Association and the ME Association. Phil suffered a stroke when he was five. He said raising money for research into childhood strokes was “massively” important to his grandad.
“A lot of his life was community and raising money for various charities, and the Stroke Association held a very special place for him.” Phil’s sister, Jazz, became ill in 2016, going on to be diagnosed with ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome. She used to play in the band but stopped at age 20 after going through “an incredibly bad patch“. “I spent three days bedridden and since then have pretty much been house-bound unless very meticulously planned and helped by mum and dad and family,” she said, now carrying out the role of band treasurer.
“Both Grandad and Granny have always wished they had a magic wand to be able to take it away from me,” said Jazz, 27. “One of his final statements was that he wished he could take it with him as he went, and leave me to live a life.” Norman died last year, just as he was planning the music for Muker’s Harvest Festival. Jazz said Norman would be “so pleased and so proud” that the ME Association was chosen to benefit from the concert.
‘Over the moon’
Allan said the number of people attending the concert was “humbling” for the family and gave him a “warm feeling“. “Dad was so highly regarded all around, not just in the Dales but further afield as well. “We’ve had bandsmen coming up from Sheffield, down from Scotland, and all around the North East, and they’re all here because of him.” Phil thought his grandad would be “over the moon” about the event.
“He’d love it, but he wouldn’t say it. He’d be quite stoic about it.” Jazz added: “He’d be incredibly jealous that he didn’t have the opportunity to organise it because he loved planning things.”
Allan said he had received “a lot of support from the players” since taking over from his father as musical director. “It isn’t something I’ve done much of over the years; I’ve only really started during the last year, stepping in for Dad when he wasn’t well enough. “We had a conversation just before he died, and he was effectively handing it over to me at that point and saying, ‘you carry on,’ so that’s me in my place and I’m very happy and proud to be doing that.”
