St Matthew’s, Cotham
Igranic Electric Company Ltd
Blower control switch
I was invited to a fête at St Matthew's in Cotham last summer, and went straight inside to see the organ. The church used to be a cavernous place, but a mezzenine has been built, leaving a community space below. The church has a very welcoming feel, and the organ sits in its original position looking magnificent. I asked the vicar if I could play it some time, and he put me in touch with the music director, who very kindly came and let me in to record in early February.
He showed me his favourite settings and pulled out a series of stops. I should have taken a photo of the combinations, because it was a wonderful sound. The instrument was made by Hele & Co, one of the south west's main organ builders, in the late 1800s, and the organ key and pedal mechanism was converted to electro-pneumatic action by a Bristol-based organ builder, the late John Coulson in the late 1970s. I think it is my favourite Bristol organ sound so far!
St Matthew’s organ console
I found this console to be particularly immersive!
The evening before visiting the church I happened to watch Penda's Fen, a drama exploring modern England's connection to its pre-Christian roots. It celebrates the last pagan ruler of England, Penda, who is a symbol of non-conformism for the film's main character Stephen. During the film there are two scenes in which Stephen plays the organ. In the first he accompanies the boys attending school assembly during a rendition of Jerusalem. As the hymn draws to a close, the camera cuts to a close up of lecturn motto, ΣΩΦΡΟΣΥΝΗ, balance of mind, as Stephen and a friend argue the difference in meaning of pastors and priests in harsh whispers. The second scene is spectacular, as Stephen visits a church by himself and sits down at the organ to play Elgar's Dream of Gerontius. As he plays, the floor of the church starts to crack open and the reflection in the organ mirror turns black. He then stops playing Elgar and starts improvising, holding down a huge dissonant chord with all his fingers on the keys and one foot on the pedals, as the camera cuts quickly between his face and his hands multiple times before showing us a close-up of the organ mirror, which is now reflecting the bleeding stigmata of Christ's feet, and finally the church floor which now has a huge fissure running through it...
I wonder if there are any other such dramatic scenes of church organs in films? Please let me know!
I wish I could play Elgar and Jerusalem. Unfortunately, my capabilities currently extend mainly to holding down many-fingered chords for as long as possible. I'd like to say thank you to the musical director of St Matthew's for letting me improvise as he organised the music for the Sunday service! I love holding down shifting chords and can easily enter a hypnotic state while I play. I expect time passes rather differently for those who are listening.
An improv inspired by Stephen's playing during Penda's Fen can be heard on Soundcloud here: St Matthew's Cotham Improv
