As an American it’s very hard to wrap my head around the fact that attending services at a church that was built in the 1200’s would even be possible. Just incredible. You do a wonderful job showing these beautiful churches and their organs. Glad to have discovered your work kind man.
Hi Ben, I watch one of your beautiful videos every Sunday morning while I drink my coffee before heading off to my Catholic Sunday Mass. They soothe my soul. We have a beautiful old pipe organ at my church and I am going to ask my pastor for its history. You have inspired me! And don't worry about looking too serious, it shows that you take your profession seriously!
One of the many things that I especially love about your videos is that in addition to being a highly proficient musician, you are as well a poet and inspiring historian. I am so thankful to have discovered your wonderful channel !!
Gorgeous little organ and even Widor’s toccata was nice. Your touch is what makes some of these old girls sing so beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing your talent. ❤
As a bellringer I immediately noticed that unusually, much like the organist, the bellringers are placed in full view of the congregation, at the crossing, rather than hidden away up the tower. Awkward to sneak out if you want to ring and not stay to the service !
😂 I play keyboards at small church. I know exactly what you mean!! I told minister’s daughter I was jealous of her kids who could fidget, and just lay down on or underneath the pew during the surface.
I am into mechanical music so of course that tremulant stop is a great sound to my ears! What a wonderful organ this is. A hidden gem in a small village church!
Another excellent road trip to display the small parish churches of England. Unbelievable how ancient this church is. Writing, filming, and demonstrating the pipe sounds are superbly executed by the staff of ONE! Rubber boots most appropriated for walking the marshes. No loafers today!
You are so serious in this video and without any smiles. Ben, I cannot express how much pleasure your fantastic, sensitively beautiful playing brings to me and many others! Thank you for sharing your exquisite talent along with your sharp attention to enthralling historic details of chuches in England.
Thank you again Ben for another excellent village church and organ tour. Your personable, calm, intelligent and insightful video narration and style makes us feel like we are right there with you. Very refreshing.
How much I agree with that as it was such a comprehensive presentation. I just wish he would smile more as it seemed like the whole video was depressing for him. I kept wanting to say "oh cheer up a bit mate"
What a beautiful ancient church. Your playing on this wonderful old instrument is both sensitive and refined. Love the editing as well. Keep up your excellent work. Thanks, and greetings from the Hudson Valley. Cheers!
I’m on a little journey watching your older videos. This is so wonderful. I miss those English hills so much. I could’ve listened to the whole piece you played at the end. I can’t remember the name of it right now. The internet is such a weird place because your videos make me feel like we’re friends. Thanks Ben 🫶🏼
I love an old ham and a drama queen 😃 Your use of the Purcell Queen Mary funeral music to vamp up the pathos while reading the inscription on the woman's grave was masterful! I have subscribed!👍
Beautiful instrument thoughtfully demonstrated. I like the low reverberation in the church because it makes it easier to hear on a video. You are a talented and thoughtful young man. Long may you prosper.
@@rowejon Ah ok. Ben himself referred to the sound as ‘fairground’ which was an accurate description of the tremulant effect. But I’m happy my little error gave you the opportunity to show your knowledge 👍🏻
When you played with the tremulant 'on', I couldn't tell if it was on or not. I guess I'm used to playing theater(cinema) pipe organ where the tremulant is very heavy. The 'vibrato' really stands out in a theater organ 🙂 BTW - I've played silent film accompaniment where all the different sounds to the film are performed by the organist. From sobbing tibias to an auto horn, the range of sounds, and fun, is wonderful 🙂
I agree. I had organist tell me once that one never used the tremulant. He followed it up with … everyone knows that. Interesting. Then why do so many organs have a tremulant stop? I think some folks need something to show snobbery. In this instance… people who like a tremulant effect. Or carnival music.
I disagree about the tremulant, it is merely our ears today that relate it to “fairground” music. I’m sure that it gives great uplift in many hymns and played its part back in Victorian society
LOL! Of course you had to dust off that Lefebure-Wely piece of carnival tripe to demonstrate the full-organ tremulant. Perfect. Thank you for the wonderful demonstration.
Many thanks Ben for the Video, Love the old country churches and the Pipe organs, You are talented in more ways then one, keep up the good work. All the best....
Bravo - or mebe Bravissimo! A lot of work must have gone into this video - for which many thanks. I leasrnt a lot from your playing and discussion. Now to get some bums on seats and feet on the pedalboard....
Merci pour ces vidéos pleines d’amour et de poésie. Je découvre une Angleterre riche d’un patrimoine immense servie par un jeune organiste talentueux et enthousiaste. Bravo (en tant qu’étranger j’apprécie particulièrement l’excellente diction )
Now that was awesome on so many levels. The history, the setting, the gorgeous sound, and seeing you playing the pedals with sneakers! (and the Nike socks 😏). How seriously cool is that! I always wonder what attendance is like on a typical Sunday in these ancient churches, and the age mix. Britain's role in the establishment and spread of Christianity cannot be overstressed, and id hate to see it fade out.
Perhaps the biggest problem (other than lack of congregation) is lack of organists to play such machines. Many churches simply don't have an organist or competent pianist in their congregation. And when there's not enough money coming in the collection to sustain the building it's hard to justify repairing an organ that you haven't got anyone to play it.
Many are not open every Sunday. Services alternate around the area. Mostly older people. Ironically it’s often the countries we colonised and converted who are the most church going now it seems to me.
@@nicolad8822 I concur with this. In my area of rural Kent we have 5 parish churches in our group and the main Sunday service alternates round the five so mostly each church only gets a service once a month. The congregations average about 30 to 40 people per service, and they do mostly seem to consist of the older generation; I'm 61 and I'm probably one of the younger members of the congregation.
Unfortunately it's seems to be the C of E that's driving many people away. I attended a service in Salisbury Cathedral a couple of years back and it was political on every level. Nothing for the spiritual uplifting of the people actually attending, just endless lecturing about "the third world" and how somehow it's all our fault. Then Covid, of all the times for the Church to step up and lead, give comfort where it was needed, they were at the forefront of shutting everything down. I mean in a building that can easily seat a couple of thousand people, they couldn't hold any services at all? In an area where the rate of infection was amongst the lowest in the country. Now this Christmas they have an art exhibition celebrating refugees. You know the fit, young men invading the UK in small boats after crossing numerous safe countries and who come from countries where there are no wars. These churches have survived all these years but I seriously doubt they can survive the current leadership. Partly because the current leadership despises the people and the country.
Lovely church, lovely organ, and lovingly shared. Thanks Ben. If it's not too much to ask, I would love to hear a little more of each stop and of you playing. Perhaps a little longer on the demonstration as you move through it. Otherwise, I've very much enjoying this series.
An interesting video series, especially for an organist like myself, who's grown up with the Silbermann traditions of the German Lutheran church, who settled in Britain a long time ago, and found English village organs in general totally unsuited for Baroque music, with all its flute sounds and no Mixture stop in sight. The ending was a bit too thickly laid on, and then playing the quintessential English composer, Debussy. Ah, English irony!!!
Yet another wonderful and excellent video which you always do so well. Another beautiful church and countryside. A wonderful insight into the church itself and the unusual position of the organ. Very enjoyable. Thank you Ben!
Great video, church and organ. Looking for an great organ where the organist is not hidden? Come to the St Antonius church in Dordrecht Netherlands 🇳🇱 😊
Lovely all ‘round! I’d love to hear the entire Bach Suite for Unaccompanied ‘Cello on that ‘cello-like Open Diapason!!! Please make an entire video with that stop featured largely as a solo stop!!
Thanks for another brilliant video. The ratchet swell did appear to have a half-open notch. Nice to hear the Widor taken a sensible pace! I would love to hear you play the Toccata by Gigout in a future video 😊
Very charming organ visually and tonally. But there's a few clues that say it's not quite 200 years old. Pneumatic stop action with machine engraved stop tabulature with pitch indications (pitch would have been assumed) C compass manuals instead of manuals that extended down to G or F, overhanging manual keyboards rather than square stepped keyboards and a pedalboard of more than 1 octave. I'd venture to guess this organ was built between 1870 and 1900.
Ben Maton, Than you for sharing this video of these antique organs with us here on RU-vid! I really enjoyed it! Please record and share more of you organ talent! Thanks! Your fan, Dan
Thank you that was very interesting, a lovely surprise from RU-vid's algorithm, I guess it sent me here from The Pethericks channel who had a recent gifting of an organ from a Catholic Cathedral? in Norwich to a convent they are renovating in France. Any comments on that? It seems like a huge undertaking putting it back together. I know zero about organs but very much enjoyed this video; I was a bellringer though, many years ago on the Isle if Wight, so grew up in a village church but actually came to faith later and have attended mostly Baptist churches since, with no organs. Anyway, God bless you.
This video was such a pleasure in many ways. Thank you. As someone who lives across the Atlantic and who has walked on trails in almost every corner of North America and on 5 other continents, I have to agree that the English countryside has a unique beauty.
I am a retired priest who does ministry in two churches near where I live. Both of them have wonderful organs now rarely played. We have a huge shortage of organists! Is there hope?
Thank you for your introduction to this wonderful village organ. I loved the Baroque sound, but was surprised at the Widor. Yes it can play Widor!! You didn’t show the Bourdon 16’ as a solo stop. Any reason?
Thank you very much for this video! A very nice demonstration and performance on this instrument. I like this particular organ very much. I wish that someone would make a Hauptwerk sample of it.
