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Church in Wales
Eglwys Yng Nghymru |
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THE CATHEDRAL
ORGAN APPEAL
THE ORGAN STORY.....So Far
The Dean and Chapter of Llandaff Cathedral launched a £1.5 million appeal for a replacement organ in 2007. Llandaff Cathedral stands on one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain with the present building dating back to 1107. Throughout the 20th century and to the present day Llandaff Cathedral has enjoyed a very high choral tradition.
The previous organ, demolished in 2008, originated from about 1900. This organ was modified in 1914 and 1924 and in 1937 there was a complete rebuild, costing £1,600. The benefits were short-lived when a German landmine devastated the building – and the organ – in January 1941. The cost of rebuilding the Cathedral was substantial and when it came to the organ, the War Damage Commission and the Board of Trade refused to finance a new instrument. The result was a ‘make do and mend’ restoration. For over thirty years, discussions took place about the Cathedral organ. It was poorly located, with a cramped internal layout and surrounded by screens which prevented the sound from being effective in the building. For decades, its general condition had been in decline and very expensive to repair; a lightning strike in February 2007 finally rendered it unusable for the daily services. As a consequence, the choral tradition at Llandaff was maintained with the hire of a digital organ. The decision was taken to replace the organ with a completely new instrument. After much deliberation, the plans put forward by Nicholson’s of Malvern were chosen. Their proposal was for the largest, wholly-new, British built organ to be commissioned in a UK cathedral for nearly half a century. It would be built in two symmetrical cases, situated either side of the Choir stalls, and would contain a total of 4,870 pipes. Nicholson & Co. are the world-renowned Malvern firm of organ builders. Founded by John Nicholson in 1841, they have a long history of building organs and have an unequalled reputation for quality. Examples of their work are to be found in Gloucester, Portsmouth and Birmingham Cathedrals, more recently at Great Malvern and Bridlington Priories and as far a field as Madrid, Hong Kong and Long Island, USA.
Work began in the factory in the middle of 2008, moving to the Cathedral in April 2009. After approximately 30,000 man-hours, the work is now complete and our Cathedral, a beautiful and historical building, has gained a new dimension. The magnificent organ cases frame Sir Jacob Epstein’s statue of Christ in Majesty, a unique architectural feature that is recognised around the world. Music is an essential part of the worship at the Cathedral. Llandaff is the only Anglican Cathedral in Wales with a dedicated Choir School and a professional choir that consists purely of boys and men. The Cathedral Choir sings at six services each week during term time as well as at the Christmas and Easter services. The organ accompanies the choir and therefore needs to have the tonal variety and subtlety for this purpose. It is also essential that it can lead large congregations in the singing of hymns, as well as being flexible enough to allow the playing of a worldwide organ repertoire. Those who have had the privilege of hearing and playing the new instrument have been stunned by the quality of sounds it creates. These range from the beauty of a single, quiet flute, to the majestic sound of full organ. Llandaff Cathedral now has an organ that will reinforce its place on the international map of musical excellence, just as many other Welsh musical organisations have already done so. It is an iconic investment for the future, which has already created interest around the world and praise of the highest level from a number of eminent organists. On 9 March 2009 a party of 20 from the Cathedral visited the works of Nicholson’s at Lower Interfields on the outskirts of Malvern, Worcester. The party was given a fascinating tour of their works – all of which was engaged in building the organ for Llandaff Cathedral. The organ was being made in two parts and the "North" part was almost finished. The party saw half of the North frame assembled as the full North frame would be too tall to fit in the workshop.
The organ, once complete, will contain 4,870 pipes and apart from the very large pipes, these are being made from scratch in Malvern
The party were able to see the air chambers that "blow" the air into the pipes.
The party had an enjoyable and informative day, which was completed with a visit to Malvern Priory, where they were able to hear the Priory organ, which was recently restored by Nicholson’s.
Cathedral Website - this page last updated: 12/12/2011 16:09 |
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