I'm really interested to know what you think to the way I've captured the sound of this organ. Now you've seen my microphone placement in my previous video, what do you think to the balance - particularly in the final improvisation?
Fantastic work Richard - mic placement picked up the reverb magnificently! Agree with Jerry on the live stop display, that's some classy work sir, thank you for spoiling us! Also, the balance sounded great, there was no distortion, and the voices didn't lose their quality. I may have had to turn down the volume towards the end - not sure the neighbours would appreciate Jonathan's playing quite as much as I did at 6 am :)
I am listening with Apple AirPod Pro headphones with noise cancellation on, and I would say you perfectly captured the full range of audio frequencies as well as the wonderful reverberation of this cathedral. Well done, and thanks for such an in-depth look into the organ!
For those interested, the organ builders Nicholsons have removed all the pipework from this instrument and the pipes have been melted down. The exception are the case pipes which date from the 17th century. So the Gloucester Cathedral organ shown here no longer exists. As such this demonstration is a useful historical record of the instrument before its destruction. The brand new organ is due to be completed in 2026.
Well what can I say - That was one of the best videos and Organ I have heard EVER!! I really enjoyed the Tour that Jonathan Gave and the improvisation that he gave, a great sound through my bose Q15's I dread to hear what it would sound through my speakers on my Computer they would shake the house! - All in all Fan BloodyTastic!
Fantastic improvisation and nicely recorded. You have got the balance right so you can hear the organ clearly without losing a sense of the wonderfully enormous Gloucester acoustic.
My goodness! What an organ, and what a presentation. I can't wait to hear Jonathan's recital this weekend - he does a phenomenal job of explaining the instrument with details to appeal to beginners and advanced folk alike! Bravo Richard on how you have captured the instrument - it sounds magnificent - in particular how the direct sound from the choir blends with the ambient from the nave! Superb videography too - and the live-stop-display... attention to detail - you spoil us! Thank you!!! :D
Having listened to this twice, I can find no adjectives for the instrument, the organist, or the recording quality, which would do justice. And we all know I'm rarely speechless....
One word: Wow! The organ's sound is captured gloriously for us to enjoy vicariously, and the on-screen stop display was really helpful during the overview.
Brilliant work Richard, and very generous of Jonathan to give his time to share his talent with us. He, Adrian and their previous organ scholar have uploaded quite a number of really interesting videos during lockdown which I have really enjoyed. The more I learn of this instrument, the more it stands out as being truly unique - but the team there really do know how to get the best out of it! Well done and thank you all.
What a wonderful organ. So enjoyed hearing all about it and listening to it. Looking forward to hearing the recital on Saturday on this organ. It sounds so pure the notes and playing. Thank you Richard 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Absolutely brilliant recording of a excellent piece that demonstrated the versatility & amazing colours of a mighty organ ! Excellently played Johnathan 👍thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏼. The microphones were obviously well placed to capture the rich & wonderful tones of this impressive organ🙏🏼bravo Richard 👍
Absolutely fabulous! I grew up knowing this organ through it's many stages of life, and you captured it beautifully! I know it's an organ that divides organists and opinions, but at the end of the day you can't deny it has THE most incredible tutti, as well as the subtlest celeste in the Father Willis style. I listened on my laptop plugged into a couple of old Wharfdale pc speakers, and the handled the dynamics incredibly well!
What a truly, truly fantastic sound - oh that crescendo at the end of that beautifully crafted improvisation simply blows my musical mind. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The 32 pedal reed is spectacular too. ENCORE
When you announced you were featuring Jonathan I really hoped you would show some of his improvisation. Gloucester is my 'home' cathedral so it's pretty much the only organ I've spent much time listening to in person, so it's great to get an explanation of it.
@@beautyinsound In as much as it's possible to capture something as enormous as this, where the building is every bit as much a part of the organ as the pipes are, I think you have. It's a fantastic recording, and very interesting to listen to. It's a hybrid sound, mixing the feel and acoustic of being in the nave with the clarity and articulation from being stood in the organ loft itself, and unlike any experience you would have in person as you also capture the sound from both faces of the organ. I think you've done an excellent job to lose the worst of the far end of the reverb, especially so in an empty nave, while keeping the character of the sound.
a fabulous and controversial organ wonderfully demonstrated. If it gets rebuilt (and there's much chatter about that on social media) this will be a very valuable document ... nice one Richard.
@@ds1868 Sadly the organ has been removed and the pipes melted down. All is left is the case pipes and the 16' flute stop on the pedal. A brand new organ will be built for 2026. So the current project is a replacement not a rebuild.
Beautifully played and recorded, and superbly in tune! Yes, the mic placement works beautifully, recreating something of the incredible surround-sound panache of this instrument live (more than a lazy stereo pair or Soundfield certainly, which makes it sound like it's in a railway tunnel). Thank you so much to all. There continue to be rumours that this organ might be tinkered with or even replaced with something more 'in keeping' or 'versatile' ... PLEASE no. There are enough bland, characterless recent neo-romantic cathedral organs in the UK. This is a precious snapshot of the best we could do in the 1970s; our equivalent of the Chartres organ, for example (but better, IMHO). I hope it will be given the respect it deserves, come next rebuild, and I hope this wonderful document helps to remind people what a groundbreaking but also refined and inspiring work of art this instrument is.
I completely agree. It never even crossed my mind to only use a stereo pair of microphones! The problem with only using 2 microphones in a space like this is that the sound is very unrepresentative of what actually is heard in the building. Sitting in the Nave of Gloucester whilst hearing the organ played on Tutti is quite an experience.... the sound is coming from all over; bouncing off the walls; behind you; over you; through you... 2 microphones simply would not pick this up. I have to say that I'm fairly pleased with the results!
The audio is perfect. Really great job. Congratulations. Fabulous organ demo by Jonathan Hope as well. Will be be invited to play the new organ ? He is a fantastic organist.
In Richard, we not only have a great organist, but someone with all round knowledge, imagination and creativity to bring us the wonderful videos. Thank you, PS what audio interface do you record with?
Fantastic stuff! I'm always fascinated my Jonathan's tour of the organ; they're well worth listening to! I am interested in how you achieved the stop overlay; it appeared very dynamic - was that directly driven from an electronic output from the registration system itself?
Really magnificent! That Trompette Harmonique is massive! Does it have double length resonators? It usually mellows the sound but this is anything but mellow.
The resonators look to be of standard length to me (the Trompette stands on its own wind chest and can be seen clearly from the organ-loft stairs). However, the pipes were removed a few years ago by James Atherton (Head Voicer of Nicholson’s) and taken to the workshop in Worcester, where they were re-voiced to give a much fuller sound than previously. They were quite telling before, but ‘thinner’ - and didn’t have the massive impact that they have now. James also did some work on the 32’ Contra Bombarde, which is also more full-bodied these days than it used to be.
When a stop is named 'Harmonique', it's usually just the treble pipes/top few octaves that are harmonic, and the basses are normal length. But where the double length starts on this stop I'm not sure, I'd guess around middle/tenor C perhaps? If it's double length entire compass I'd be surprised! The tone of it is beautiful, though.
@@lyndon1904 yes the work on the 32' reed has made a noticeable improvement. Such a shame the 32' bottom octave of the 32' flue was removed in 1970. I'm a great admirer of the work of Ralph Downes but his decision to delete that pipework was a mistake.
To what extent was compression being used in the recording of any part of this particular youtube vid? The sound seems very tight when the organ is speaking the loudest?
I'm really interested to know what you think to the way I've captured the sound of this organ. Now you've seen my microphone placement in my previous video, what do you think to the balance - particularly in the final improvisation?
Fantastic work Richard - mic placement picked up the reverb magnificently! Agree with Jerry on the live stop display, that's some classy work sir, thank you for spoiling us!
Also, the balance sounded great, there was no distortion, and the voices didn't lose their quality. I may have had to turn down the volume towards the end - not sure the neighbours would appreciate Jonathan's playing quite as much as I did at 6 am :)
It sounds better on your recording than it does in the flesh, Richard!
I am listening with Apple AirPod Pro headphones with noise cancellation on, and I would say you perfectly captured the full range of audio frequencies as well as the wonderful reverberation of this cathedral. Well done, and thanks for such an in-depth look into the organ!
For those interested, the organ builders Nicholsons have removed all the pipework from this instrument and the pipes have been melted down. The exception are the case pipes which date from the 17th century. So the Gloucester Cathedral organ shown here no longer exists. As such this demonstration is a useful historical record of the instrument before its destruction. The brand new organ is due to be completed in 2026.
Hello, I am curious why they did that
Because it was crap.
It was not crap. It was inspirational.
Well what can I say - That was one of the best videos and Organ I have heard EVER!! I really enjoyed the Tour that Jonathan Gave and the improvisation that he gave, a great sound through my bose Q15's I dread to hear what it would sound through my speakers on my Computer they would shake the house! - All in all Fan BloodyTastic!
Fantastic improvisation and nicely recorded. You have got the balance right so you can hear the organ clearly without losing a sense of the wonderfully enormous Gloucester acoustic.
Wonderful improvisation and recording! The crescendo is mega but I love the first quiet pedal entry in particular
My goodness! What an organ, and what a presentation. I can't wait to hear Jonathan's recital this weekend - he does a phenomenal job of explaining the instrument with details to appeal to beginners and advanced folk alike! Bravo Richard on how you have captured the instrument - it sounds magnificent - in particular how the direct sound from the choir blends with the ambient from the nave! Superb videography too - and the live-stop-display... attention to detail - you spoil us! Thank you!!! :D
Having listened to this twice, I can find no adjectives for the instrument, the organist, or the recording quality, which would do justice. And we all know I'm rarely speechless....
Blessings!!!! 🙌 Greetings from Chile 🌹🎶🎵🎼🇨🇱👍💐
I have to say it sounded wonderful to me. Just right. Can't wait to hear the recital.
Wow, what an amazing organ and marvelous acoustics, I can only imagine how it feels!
One word: Wow! The organ's sound is captured gloriously for us to enjoy vicariously, and the on-screen stop display was really helpful during the overview.
Wish I lived in England, especially today. What a program for today's recital...Bach, Vierne, and Elgar.
Not long to go now - I’m really excited about it!!
Great! That's what you call a proper improv 😎
Amazing. I am suprised that this organ don't have a Tuba, but the Trompette Harmonique is splendid as well!
Brilliant work Richard, and very generous of Jonathan to give his time to share his talent with us. He, Adrian and their previous organ scholar have uploaded quite a number of really interesting videos during lockdown which I have really enjoyed. The more I learn of this instrument, the more it stands out as being truly unique - but the team there really do know how to get the best out of it! Well done and thank you all.
Sounded wonderful! Looking forward to the recital as well as virtual church this Sunday! I feel like it's gonna be pretty epic! 🎹😁
3:03 that's beautiful
Facinating explanation, easy to comprehend. Thanks so much.
What a wonderful organ. So enjoyed hearing all about it and listening to it. Looking forward to hearing the recital on Saturday on this organ. It sounds so pure the notes and playing. Thank you Richard 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Can someone buy that poor man a new pair of shoes?
Seriously, that was just fantastic. Thank you.
Superb playing and recording well done 🎹🎶👍🏻
Absolutely loved this. - great recording and intro for anyone new to the instrument. Such knowledge and skill freely given. Thanks for recording!
Absolutely brilliant recording of a excellent piece that demonstrated the versatility & amazing colours of a mighty organ ! Excellently played Johnathan 👍thank you 🙏🏼🙏🏼. The microphones were obviously well placed to capture the rich & wonderful tones of this impressive organ🙏🏼bravo Richard 👍
Sounds marvellous!!!
Sounds marvelous! 🎶
When one like is just not enough 5🌟 Looking forward to Saturday and Sunday's recordings.
Wow! Really stunning - and so good to have such a clear explanation from Jonathan Hope. The sound was beautifully captured.
Wonderful demonstration, and so much appreciated. Thank you so much, hope to hear you in real life very soon.
Absolutely fabulous! I grew up knowing this organ through it's many stages of life, and you captured it beautifully! I know it's an organ that divides organists and opinions, but at the end of the day you can't deny it has THE most incredible tutti, as well as the subtlest celeste in the Father Willis style. I listened on my laptop plugged into a couple of old Wharfdale pc speakers, and the handled the dynamics incredibly well!
I do like the superimposed pedal videos. Works very nicely.
Fab improvisation and the sound is captured so well!
What a nice organ! Thanks for this great demo!
What a truly, truly fantastic sound - oh that crescendo at the end of that beautifully crafted improvisation simply blows my musical mind. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The 32 pedal reed is spectacular too. ENCORE
Just wait until you hear tonight’s organ recital. It will blow you away - literally!
When you announced you were featuring Jonathan I really hoped you would show some of his improvisation.
Gloucester is my 'home' cathedral so it's pretty much the only organ I've spent much time listening to in person, so it's great to get an explanation of it.
Do you think the way I’ve captured the organ is authentic to its true character in real life?
@@beautyinsound In as much as it's possible to capture something as enormous as this, where the building is every bit as much a part of the organ as the pipes are, I think you have. It's a fantastic recording, and very interesting to listen to. It's a hybrid sound, mixing the feel and acoustic of being in the nave with the clarity and articulation from being stood in the organ loft itself, and unlike any experience you would have in person as you also capture the sound from both faces of the organ. I think you've done an excellent job to lose the worst of the far end of the reverb, especially so in an empty nave, while keeping the character of the sound.
Sounds great on headphones Richard - Sennheiser of course!
Brilliant program!
a fabulous and controversial organ wonderfully demonstrated. If it gets rebuilt (and there's much chatter about that on social media) this will be a very valuable document ... nice one Richard.
Why controversial? I'm curious to know what has been thought of this organ.
I hope this instrument is not rebuilt or changed at all. The legacy of Ralph Downes should be preserved.
@@ds1868 Sadly the organ has been removed and the pipes melted down. All is left is the case pipes and the 16' flute stop on the pedal. A brand new organ will be built for 2026. So the current project is a replacement not a rebuild.
Loved the improv 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻🍻
Beautifully played and recorded, and superbly in tune! Yes, the mic placement works beautifully, recreating something of the incredible surround-sound panache of this instrument live (more than a lazy stereo pair or Soundfield certainly, which makes it sound like it's in a railway tunnel). Thank you so much to all. There continue to be rumours that this organ might be tinkered with or even replaced with something more 'in keeping' or 'versatile' ... PLEASE no. There are enough bland, characterless recent neo-romantic cathedral organs in the UK. This is a precious snapshot of the best we could do in the 1970s; our equivalent of the Chartres organ, for example (but better, IMHO). I hope it will be given the respect it deserves, come next rebuild, and I hope this wonderful document helps to remind people what a groundbreaking but also refined and inspiring work of art this instrument is.
I completely agree. It never even crossed my mind to only use a stereo pair of microphones! The problem with only using 2 microphones in a space like this is that the sound is very unrepresentative of what actually is heard in the building. Sitting in the Nave of Gloucester whilst hearing the organ played on Tutti is quite an experience.... the sound is coming from all over; bouncing off the walls; behind you; over you; through you... 2 microphones simply would not pick this up. I have to say that I'm fairly pleased with the results!
@@beautyinsound Absolutely. Couldn't agree more, and you have every reason to be proud of these results, thanks so much 🙏🏻
The audio is perfect. Really great job. Congratulations. Fabulous organ demo by Jonathan Hope as well. Will be be invited to play the new organ ? He is a fantastic organist.
He is fab, and he may already have been..... 😉
Thanks Mark - I certainly hope I’ll be invited back, being the principal cathedral organist! One mustn’t presume though.
Wonderful how is the organ linked between the keyboard and the pallet on the pipe?
According to Jonathan, there's a few folks in my congregation who need to see a doctor. (13:00)
🤣
Wonderful organ! Too bad it wont be recorded for Hauptwerk!
Fantastic organ the sound is absolutely brilliant and the organist from Cape Town South Africa
In Richard, we not only have a great organist, but someone with all round knowledge, imagination and creativity to bring us the wonderful videos. Thank you, PS what audio interface do you record with?
Focusrite 18i20 straight into Cubase. Simple and no nonsense!
Fantastic stuff! I'm always fascinated my Jonathan's tour of the organ; they're well worth listening to! I am interested in how you achieved the stop overlay; it appeared very dynamic - was that directly driven from an electronic output from the registration system itself?
Hi Matthew, Richard painstakingly highlighted each stop by hand when editing the video! Glad it came across so seamlessly, the hard work paid off 😊
Really magnificent! That Trompette Harmonique is massive! Does it have double length resonators? It usually mellows the sound but this is anything but mellow.
I don’t know to be honest, pictures of it appear in the recital on Saturday so perhaps you’ll be able to see?
The resonators look to be of standard length to me (the Trompette stands on its own wind chest and can be seen clearly from the organ-loft stairs). However, the pipes were removed a few years ago by James Atherton (Head Voicer of Nicholson’s) and taken to the workshop in Worcester, where they were re-voiced to give a much fuller sound than previously. They were quite telling before, but ‘thinner’ - and didn’t have the massive impact that they have now. James also did some work on the 32’ Contra Bombarde, which is also more full-bodied these days than it used to be.
When a stop is named 'Harmonique', it's usually just the treble pipes/top few octaves that are harmonic, and the basses are normal length. But where the double length starts on this stop I'm not sure, I'd guess around middle/tenor C perhaps? If it's double length entire compass I'd be surprised! The tone of it is beautiful, though.
@@lyndon1904 yes the work on the 32' reed has made a noticeable improvement. Such a shame the 32' bottom octave of the 32' flue was removed in 1970. I'm a great admirer of the work of Ralph Downes but his decision to delete that pipework was a mistake.
@@ds1868 Why on earth would anyone remove a 32’ stop?! To much broken stained glass?
What was the improvisation on?
To what extent was compression being used in the recording of any part of this particular youtube vid? The sound seems very tight when the organ is speaking the loudest?
I turn it back to you - why would I compress the audio?! I wouldn’t. It’s probably YT messing with the audio.
@@beautyinsound Some engineers compress everything. :( You're right - it could be the MP3 algorithm being a little too aggressive for organ music. :)
Ya should get Rick Wakeman in to rattle the keys..
Haha that would be rather fun!
His shoes were even worse than yours, Richard.
It must be an English thing to wear our scruffy organ shoes with honour! 😁
My shoes work perfectly well, but thanks for noticing!