I’m delighted to see St Mary’s Milston looking so lovely and sounding great! I am the current Rector… it’s always humbling to see your name on a list going back 800 years!
Greetings from Denver, Colorado. I just discovered your videos a couple of days ago and they have made a delightful addition to my Advent celebration. They are a beautiful treat for the eyes and a soothing balm to the heart. Thank you!!
Your channel is a rare gift. I thoroughly enjoyed your presentations. I grew up attending a Methodist Episcopal church. It was a gothic architecture style. Sadly it was torn down due to roof problems. It had a wonderful pipe organ, rose windows and a welcoming vibe. A new church was built in the suburbs but I have fond memories of singing in the choir in the old church.Your music brings back beautiful memories.
Beautiful England Beautiful Churches saved by its good people an Organist with great feeling and empathy a camera man who captures the feelings and scene perfectly the sheer joy of those marvelous hymns re created what was created for the worship of our God let no man take asunder ,Thank you kind Sirs for such an amazing program of priceless videos HAPPY CHRISTMAS to you all.
What wonderful overtones that flute stop has! Once more you prove that there is no such thing as an organ too small. Have a very merry Christmas. Looking forward to your next video.
Listening to that music on that organ one can imagine that one’s in a royal chapel in the renaissance. How unusual to have on a pipe organ pedals to pump the air.
Always enjoy what you have brought to us all the historical country churches and your organ playing. I can almost feel an intimate connection between the world bygone and the present. It is truly an out of the world experience. Thank you so much!
Ben, keep up the good work. Your passion for your art will help you make it greater every week. It is an iterative process. It is the same for every great craft and art form. The combination of history, architecture, human stories and music is very positive and inspiring. Happy Christmas !!!!!
Just wonderful, thank you so much. Almost the humblest of organs, but so musical - thanks to your great skill and sensitivity Ben. Also I must say it's so good to hear these carols played at a reverent speed which savours their loveliness. I sing in a church choir here in Kent and we have a very good young organist, but the hymns are raced through at much too fast a pace for me. I fear that's all too common these days. So many of them need their stateliness and poise, for the musical and liturgical meaning to blossom.
damp stone, brasso, lavender polish, lilies, old hymn books......only in old English churches.......that smell lives in my memory, I miss England......
Once again, thank you Ben for yet another wonderful video and your simple but beautiful recital. Lovely church, wonderful setting, fascinating history and, of course, your excellent narration. Above all, thank you for breathing life into these incredible yet modest organs with your sensitive and sympathetic musical talent. I also think this is your best video so far, but I'm sure the next one will be even better! ‘Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with the vision of eternity.’ - Charles-Marie Widor‘ 'If you are called upon to play a church service, it is a greater honour than if you were to play a concert on the finest organ in the world… Thank God each time when you are privileged to sit before the organ console and assist in the worship of the Almighty.’ - Albert Schweitzer My very best wishes to you for a happy and joyous Christmas, and a big hug from a fellow SPC chorister, graduate, and campaigner for the restoration of the Father Willis in the chapel! May your keys always be crossed. 😊
Hi Ben one of your videos popped up yesterday and I am so glad, I love churches and graveyards, history and exploring... and recently a family i watch on utube called the Pethericks rescued and restored an organ from Norwich, rebuilt in the chapel of the old convent in France they are restoring. It was fascinating learning about how an organ is put together, what a huge task. Since, i have been desperate to hear organ music ! ..and here you are. Many many thanks. .. and (sorry to go on) so good to know that quote is from Joseph Addison, a serendipitous discovery for me. P.s so interesting about the gravestones of your (possible?) ancestors, have you ever done any research into your family tree?..
We are enjoying your organ skills and history lessons.Ben you certainly pull out all stops to research and present these videos.Happy Christmas from N Z.
So interesting that you recently mentioned possibly having French Huguenot ancestry. One of the churches I mentioned in Charleston, S.C. that had box pews is the one and only (250 yr old) French Huguenot church in the U.S. where my father attended because of our combination (mostly) British heritage but my great grandfather’s family being French Huguenot heritage. My father’s funeral was held there because he dearly loved his unique ancestry.
Hello Ben! Just saw some of your videos while practicing on my parish organ. Love the content you post. What are some easy advent music that you might suggest for me to play?
How i miss my time in the loft, playing the organ and piano in praise and worship of Our Lord God. Your channel, your playing and commentary all a joy to see and hear. And yes-- i could almost smell the old, wonderful fragrance of this old church. Thank you.
I just bought you some coffees. You are a gem Ben Maton! These videos are priceless and so needed to uplift and help us remember the gift of music and the richness of what our ancestors gave to their communities and what has been handed down to us.
Of all the organs I’ve heard you play on your channel, this one is my favourite. But I can’t really put into words why. It’s just beautiful. Thank you.
I love this kid. He has a great concept, visiting these old churches and playing for us, beautifully, all the while giving an interesting history lesson. To boot, he looks like a young Paul McCartney, which is kind of neat. Music is life. Thank you Ben!
This channel came up as a suggestion about a month ago and now I'm hooked. I do long distance day hikes, 18 to 20 miles , and nearly always stop at a church or two along the way. A short stop can quite often end up being an hour or more. You've given me a few churches to visit on my travels next year. Keep up the good work .
Ben Maton, I discovered you here only yesterday, and what a joy it is to follow you about from church to church and revel in their stories, and, yes, in the scent of their old and venerable essence! I love the glimpses into each church's history and those who made it for us to revere. From the road to the pulpit to the most remote corner of the churchyard, these stories and the wondrous music you bring on these small but grand organs are simply a joy! Thank you for freely sharing your most prodigious talents with us here! USA
Ben: Greetings from faraway Southern California. I really appreciate the enthusiasm you bring to your reports on the visits to these country churches and the emotion you bring to your organ playing. Music conveys emotions that words cannot capture and you demonstrate that so emphatically.
I just love all things historical especially churches! Whenever I manage to visit one I always put my hands on the older parts to see or feel if anything comes through! And scared at the same time if it did! Nothing yet. Sadly I dont play any instruments except with one or two fingers! but love the music that comes from all of them. And I now have a new appreciation of church organs. Thank you Mr Maton. 🙏🎄🙋
It’s not that mystical. God wants us to approach Him and to have fellowship (relationship) with Him. He reached out to us through Christ’s birth, death & resurrection. The Bible is His communication to you. He loves you.🙏
I absolutely love your channel and so appreciate your playing. You are a gifted organist. I hope you know that gift came from the Lord, merry Christmas, Ben and thank you.
Hello and Greetings from Dublin, Ohio USA! Mr. Maton, I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful it was to discover you and your forays into the English countryside and your brilliant organ playing and mini recitals! Your presentation and descriptions of the parish buildings and their organs are most illuminating. We look forward to making our own discoveries of these places in the very near future. England and your Monarch should be exceptionally proud of your exploration and exposition of all the riches that are found in the country's smaller county parishes. Keep up the splendid work! Cheers! Drew
Aloha Ben😀 Yes your work is enjoyed in HAWAII. Usually over breakfast and in Honolulu that means around 9:30 am. Your work is a wonderful way to start the day. You wished us a Merry Christmas so to you I wish MELE KALIKIMAKA. And to your viewers around the world I encourage others to wish the same in their languages around the world.🇺🇸🇺🇸😎🏄🏼♂️🏄🏼♂️🏖️🌴🎅🏻🎅🏻🎅🏻🌲🌲
Just wanted to tell you how much we (husband and I) enjoy your music. You have such a loving way with every hymn and composition. Played from the heart. Keep up your musical rambles. I do love seeing the English countryside. Best wishes from New York!
Ben, I just discovered your channel a couple of days ago, and I want you to know that it will only take me a week or so to watch all your visits to churches. After following Dr. Barton for a while now, you are the perfect complement to his body of work. Keep up the great work.
Dear Ben, I’m listening and watching, as I have since the earliest days of your explorations, from Minneapolis, the largest city in the mid-American state of Minnesota. I’m also an organist, now pushing on toward seventy-five, having “been on the bench for sixty of those years. In a week’s time, God willing, I’ll enjoy the privilege of once again supporting the congregation I serve, as they sing the ageless carols of the Nativity. I’ve spent my entire life in small places. Just as the simplest piece of music can sometimes yield the most powerful message, so too do the humble, yet historic, places you visit stand as majestic “pillars of faith” in your country. Thank you for all of your efforts to bring these remarkable “living monuments” to our attention. Your vignettes are very moving. Merry Christmas! Richard Duncan
Ben, in addition to your musical talent, you have a way with words. Your description of the sensation you feel when entering the ancient church…it is “so familiar, and simultaneously so haunting and new” yes, what IS that we feel?? and Why? Our Christian Faith teaches we live only one life on earth. Yet, i have been here before, so familiar. .I have never traveled to England, or anywhere outside of the US except to Canada, where, in Victoria, BC they are “more English than the English”, so they say. :). Seriously, i have a passion for history, especially English history, the ancient stones of the churches and Cathedrals are “browned by the sanctity of the prayers of our ancestors”( i paraphrased the author Fr.Hugh Benson, writing about the falling away of Faith in our modern age). That very reservoir of holiness, the energy stored in these places, resonates in sensitive souls. You mentioned that the hidden corner of Wiltshire, surrounded by modern development, “retains its rustic charm” that fact, i believe, is an effect of the energy of holiness and power to preserve and protect, resonating in the stones of the Church..and i am aware that it is a daily struggle against developers, that communities all over England are engaged in. God Bless you in your work, bringing the ancient churches and your music to us , raising our awareness and appreciation. There are other channels that show them, give short tours, many of these old churches have no congregations, their villages long vanished .they probably have no survivng organs for someone like you to bring to life again. It is sad, but I can and do pray for theiier preservation, they are my heritage, too. 🙏💕 Thank You.
It is so difficult to imagine all the parishioners who worshiped there for so many centuries. Equally difficult is to imagine how much time so many organists provided music there. It is humbling to think about this. Thank you again for this video.
One of the highlights of this year for me is discovering your wonderful channel a few months ago. Everything is absolutely perfect on it, and you make everything so interesting and informative. This video is one of the nicest of all with the Maton history, the great organ and always the bonus of the beautiful Wiltshire countryside every time. Thank you Ben for a wonderful year.
What a marvelous video. Just the nourishment to soothe a drooping spirit. Hearing you play these wonderful old organs is like a glance of Heaven. Thank you, Ben for sharing your talents. Merry Christmas to you and to all.
Thank you for your fantastic and at the same time dignified way of describing the village churches and playing their unique organs. You take us with you and from the first moment it feels as if we were there ourselves. Greetings from Switzerland 🇨🇭
What a beautiful church, and what wonderful music! I love Joseph Addison, he wrote excellent poetry- here is a favorite of mine: 1 The spacious firmament on high, with all the blue ethereal sky, and spangled heavens, a shining frame, their great Original proclaim. The unwearied sun from day to day does his Creator's power display, and publishes to every land the work of an almighty hand. 2 Soon as the evening shades prevail the moon takes up the wondrous tale, and nightly to the listening earth repeats the story of her birth; whilst all the stars that round her burn, and all the planets in their turn, confirm the tidings, as they roll, and spread the truth from pole to pole. 3 What though in solemn silence all move round the dark terrestrial ball; what though nor real voice nor sound amid their radiant orbs be found; in reason's ear they all rejoice, and utter forth a glorious voice, for ever singing as they shine, 'The hand that made us is divine.' Again, thanks for sharing these superb organs and churches with us all!
Wonderful! I like the way you not only explore the music and the instruments, but also the history and the landscapes in which these churches are nestled. What would the British Isles be without these places.
Sing aloud loud loud sing a loud loud loud God is good God is Good God is beauty praise him.....Yes that scent of an old church Saint Mary's Milston is a blessing of simpleness and the outside nature of visionary grace playing on the organ Greensleeves "What child is this" - Divine Praises.Thankyou for the poem of 'Hope' and a favourite final carol "In the bleak midwinter " renewal of life and new beginnings. Atmospheric joy and wonderment.Thankyou
What a great channel this is, as a Classical guitarist I love to play renaissance and Baroque music, and sometimes I wish I had learned to play the organ :) Look forward to every video you upload, and your history of each Church and its organ are a welcome addition to the music.
Lovely film. Stunningly beautiful ancient church and organ. With many old churches and chapels being sold off to become residential, or commercial, units action should be taken to retain them for religious, or community, use. These are wonderful historic resources that should be better protected and financially supported ❤🎹🛐🔔🎶
So gladto have found and shared your channel with several organist here in New England. I Don’ t know really what I love mist, the music the history the contemplative quotes or you and your pulsing intellect and sunny smile wrapped up in a suitably handsome fellow. Merry Christmas Ben.
"Beautiful dusty pipes" said with honest enthusiasm is one of the truest and most accurate details of this whole video. Your work and the attitude you bring are a blessing. Cheers!
Long ago, prophets knew......Ring, bells, ring, ring, ring! I can identify with Ben as the Maton family box tomb at Milston is almost identical to the Bolingbroke family box tomb at St Peter Mancroft Norwich. And as the hybrid organ charms us with heavenly music, we wonder if Henry VIII really did write Greensleeves or why Harold Darke wrote his version of In the bleak midwinter. Bravo Ben! Sing, choirs, sing, sing, sing!
Just now downloaded your “Little Christmas Album” and looking forward to listening to it. Keep up the great and most interesting presentations. Have a very Merry Christmas! (From a USA admirer of your work.)
Good evening! I am so glad I found your channel. I had the pleasure of spending a week in Rye in southern England. One afternoon, I visited Winchelsea. We were able to walk into their church and had someone playing their organ in such a magnificent church. The scent is as you mentioned in a previous video- the organ's voice filled the area and I wondered at all the generations of parishioners who have listened to its voice in those wooden pews. I love the southern England area and. your road trips bring back nice memories, especially since I had visited last November and the cold air and low light are captured in your videos. Great job. All the best from Northern Arizona in the US. Best wishes!
