Cathedral Singers in Tackley - the end of the beginning

“Organ playing is the manifestation of a will filled with the vision of eternity” – so said Charles Marie Widor, composer of the spectacular “Toccata” from his 5th Organ Symphony that has been a popular choice at weddings since the wedding of

Princess Anne (now the Princess Royal) in 1973.

On Sunday 20 th July, St Nicholas church hosted the last event organised to celebrate the inauguration of its new pipe organ. The Right Rev. Gavin Collins, Bishop of Dorchester, presided over a service of choral evensong, sung by members of the

Cathedral Singers of Christ Church in Oxford under their director, Hilary Punnett, and brilliantly accompanied by their organist, Simon Hogan. The Cathedral Singers are the mixed adult choir that sings many of the services in Christ Church Cathedral in

Oxford and we were privileged to host them as a guest choir for this special occasion. During the service, prayers were said to dedicate the new organ for its role in providing music to lead worship in church and the organ was used in celebration to accompany the Psalm, hymns and choral music by the Italian Renaissance composer Ludovico da Viadana and the 19th century English organist and composer Thomas Attwood Walmisley. The service concluded with a magnificent voluntary by

Felix Mendelssohn from his 4th Organ Sonata, skilfully played with panache by Simon Hogan.

So our new organ is now fully launched! But this is not the end of the story, only the end of the beginning. As well as being used for regular church services, we are planning to organise a continuing series of musical events in the church in the near

future. This may include organ concerts and special services involving organ music, starting in the autumn, as well as other kinds of music catering to many tastes. So if you missed the inaugural events or want to know more, look out for announcements of upcoming events to hear the new organ in action. Note that we are still fundraising to add some additional stops and facilities which could not be accommodated in the initial budget agreed by the PCC, to make the organ even better! New ideas for fundraising events and activities are always welcome - contact me on email or via the church.