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From: bishfan
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  • The comment at 2:36 is misleading... I'm pretty sure that only a 16' Trombone is being used... I think the 32' gets added at 2:44. I just wish I had that beast on my house organ!

  • epic granny at 3:20

  • bit too fast - automatic gain control wrecks things at the end... mic needs to be in the nave not up close

  • So...how bad was the building shaking?

  • 10 people have been bombarded.... :D

  • It's fine until 3:20, then it becomes too much, IMHO.

  • Unless this is just a poor quality of recording and it sounded much more balanced in person, I feel the use of this stop in the final measures of this piece was just too overpowering for what was being played on the manuals.

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  • The 32 ft Contra trombone pipes are in the case in the south transept and were put there during our re-build. they are open ended mitred pipes. Any other questions? Also when standing in the main nave with both transept doors closed they are actually underpowered. If you stand right next to any organ pipe of course it sounds loud.

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  • The pedal 32' reed IS NOT digital. It was installed by Messrs. Harrison & Harrison in 1988, latterly having come from St Marylenone PArish Church. It also provides the 16' Trombone. There is nothing digital in this organ.

  • The best recording instruments in the world can't properly capture an organ, because the building itself is the sound chamber. Those trombones are amazing! The Boellmann "Toccata" is the perfect piece to demonstrate them. But I can hardly believe that people are allowed to walk around the organ loft so close to the pipes.

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  • lol you can hear when the stop is pulled.

  • Lovely 32' feet reeds I love it!

  • I'd like to go up and HUG that 32' Bombarde! :D

    ~Cindy! :)

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  • Whatever recorded the music was very close to the boot of the 32' pedal reed. Once the sound is blended with the rest of the organ, it doesn't have the strange sound heard on this recording.

    The wood pipes painted red were not the trombone pipes. They're someplace else but unless the resonators are 1/2 length or mitered, I can't see where they'd be placed. Any chance they're digital?

  • @gondolacrescent5 I think it isn't digital.

  • @Zumipali2 I would have to agree with it being digital, unless there is some serious pipe miltering going on inside of that box.

  • @cunit1090 Why? I am an organ builder, and I think is possible to fold in to that case the 32 feet reeds.

  • @Zumipali2 Not an organ builder, just an organist here. And i'm pretty sure that the pipes are miltered or either capped 16' pipes (which if i'm not mistaken would produce the sound an octave lower but with less sound), or they extend below the level the box is sitting on. All of which I have seen on organs I have played and there are probably more options now thanks to modern physics.

  • @cunit1090 Sorry I misunderstand you. So is that pipes are stopped Contra Trombones?

  • @Zumipali2 sorry, i'm not understanding your question.

  • @Zumipali2 You could fold 32' pipes into this case, but it's academic as there's insufficient room for them anyway, unless you displace other pipework. At St David's the 32' reed is placed within the choir screen on the south side of the organ case.

  • its amazing!! I love it!!!!!!!

  • POWER!!!!!

  • I love how you can hear the stop open up!

  • Hahaha, 3:19 LOL the lady hahahaha 'holy crap!'

  • respect!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • If I do anything before I die, it will be to go visit an incredibly large organ!

  • The camera jumped when she hit the low C during the climax of the song! that was awesome! and of course the lady at the stairs, her eyes were as big as saucers

  • 3:19 LOL (look at the expression of the woman who just came up the stairs)

  • @jtingyz HAHAHA.. she jumped in shock at the sudden sound, then the shock turned into amazement.. lol

  • Surely the woman would have had her head blown off by putting her ear next to the bottom of the pipes haha

  • thats heavy nice where is it i must go

  • Did you take this video?

  • @tman8077 Yes I did.

  • I finally saw this on TBN the other day and I realize why people are milling about due to the nature of it being a huge tourist spot.

  • @KE5RHD people in wales tend to hang around churches. I get very jumpy when I practice because im so far up our church adnthe noisde from the organ is so loud you dont notice anyone coming in. Many people hang around - its very normal :)

  • I love the expression on the woman's face at 3:23.

  • Thank god this vid is no HiFi ! This would killed my sub-woofer!

  • LOL!!! Of course it was where you were standing that organ is spread out all over creation. One thing is for sure you can hear that closing theme!!!

  • dude it really stinks that camcorders can't pick all that up, but that's ok:) I'll bet that made you sick didn't it lol I'd a been jumpin! that's a pretty organ and a neat piece, I liked it when the contra's came in!!!!

  • What is the piece being played ? I really like it.

  • @peletonkambing Toccata from Gothique Suite by Leon Boellmann

  • @bishfan

    Ah nice one, thanks mate !

  • @bishfan

    Thanks very much !

  • at 2:35 the extreme vibration caused everyone to defecate themselves

  • The anticipation and excitement of the young man in the red & white shirt and then later the surprise on the older woman's face are absolutely priceless. It took me straight back to my first 32' experience. It's thrilling to watch these people having the time of their life. And to the sadly predictable hypercritical psuedo-aficionados Please Lighten Up! You've entirely missed the point of this vid. Thanks to bishfan for posting 4 minutes of Exuberance.

  • you should have heard in the workshop in Durham ten years ago! I was trying to work in the office.

  • I have to agree with the folks on here who comment about English pipe organs...

    Honestly, there haven't been any really good pipe organs built since Aristide Cavaillé-Coll finished his last instrument. People go for sheer size...or voice them for wuss church audiences ("Oh don't use those reeds they're soooo loud!") and forget that they're for making MUSIC, not loud noises.

    Listen to a good recording (or better yet in person) of Franck or Vierne at St. Sernin...now THAT'S an organ.

  • @DtHAngL666 What about english organ builders such as Willis, or Renatus Harris? I play on a four manual father Willis cathedral organ regularly, and I can tell you the solo tuba reeds on this beast aren't for the faint hearted! Every single pipe on it has been voiced to perfection regularly by its voicers since its debut in 1911. This particular organ is a shining example of fine english organ building. Willis organs are such gems! See my recording of Mathias 'Jubilate' on this instrument.

  • This is a great show-piece for the organ. And I love the prominent place the organ has in this church. Go Wales!

  • This lady is an exceptianal organist. Great music.

    You can find the spec at the National Pipe Organ Register NPOR

    Pembrokeshire Dyfed, St. David's Cathedral of St. David & St. Andrew

    R00087

  • To me it sounds like a 16' stop at 2:29, then the 32' pipes kick in at 2:44 (that is the rattling noise, its the vibrations going so low you can hear them reather than a proper note). The pick-up note at 3:21 is definitely 32'. SUCH POWER FROM THOSE 32' PIPES!!!!!!!

  • now was the contra trombone voice coming from square bourdon pipes or some where else?

  • @garrettreed08 It's obvious that it was coming from somewhere else! LOL. The most obvious explanation I can think of that the 32' Bourdon was also being played and was creating a richter-scale experience where the photographer was standing, so naturally he focused on those pipes. But organ people recognize the sound of a 32' reed and know that it was coming from else where.

  • i heard a rumour this organ only runs on 3 single phase blowers?

  • There seems to be a broken or rusted pipe there at 2:21... I thought it was connected, but then I thought, "What the hell would a pipe go through the carpet for?" I love it when the Trombones kick in (the clunk is a sign that something big will happen)!

  • The small broken pipe is for collecting money in for the organ

  • @robllanfair For the longest time, I had wondered what that was there for. Thanks for the info.

  • @robllanfair I understand that the broken pipe is to put money in, but how do they get it out and what do they use it for?

  • I'm confused, is 2:30 actually a trombone? Or is this organ lingo?

  • It's an imitative pipe meaning it is an organ pipe meant to sound like a trombone. Most pipe organs are full of pipes that are constructed to imitate various instruments in an orchestra like strings and brass sections etc.

  • @austinjb555 Organ lingo

  • @austinjb555 It's organ lingo: it's a set of pipes which mimic the sound of a trombone

  • @TomTheConductor

    No--they don't mimic the sound of a trombone--a real trombone doesn't go down that far in pitch. It is lingo in the sense that organists and organ builders have a rough idea of the sound to be produced or expected to be produced from a Trombone stop. I'd expect to hear the same sound from a Posaune 32', an Ophecleide 32', a Sackbutt 32' etc., Like any language it takes time and use to understand it and there are no "rules" except the pitch. A 16' should always be labelled 16'.

  • @austinjb555 it's not a trombone. It's something close to a generic name for a either a 16' or 32' reed stop of trumpet variety in the pedal division of a pipe organ of English build. Pipe organs are full of stops named after orchestral instruments for the purpose of giving the organist an idea of what to expect , relatively speaking, from a particular stop. Therefore an oboe stop should be softer and more strident than the tone produced by a "trumpet" stop on the same organ--theoretically!

  • @austinjb555 I think it's just a regular 32' bombarde

  • @austinjb555 This is not a trombone being played b a person. With a fundamental frequency of 16 hertz at its lowest note (not the C below the bass staff but two octaves beneath that) it would be too big for a human to handle. It is an organ stop that is meant to sound the same as a trombone big enough to produce that deep a sound.

  • @austinjb555 a trombone on an organ is a type of reed pipe that makes a sound similar to a tombone. Wikipedia explains it all quite well

  • I love the lady's reaction in 03:19 ...she was on the stairs and she wasn't aspecting that!

    hahaha!!!

    I'm sure there are contre trombones more louder, but I love your video because you are so close from them and we dosen't see that very often, but I like it also because the music is perfect for the effect (very powerful music) and the reactions of the people on the video...great!!!

  • @leonengard People react this way because of the vibrations. This tone is felt very strongly in the heart area. It's a really powerful sensation that is somewhat unpleasant.

  • amazing!

  • A superb organ, great cathedral, a fine piece but keep looking and you'll find even louder 32' reeds elsewhere. The large pipes at the end are the Double Open Wood 32'.

  • It really seems like you are standing very close to the 16' and 32'. I'm sure they would blend in much better away from that chamber. I used to play a 9 rank Reuters. It had a 16' reed right beind the organ bench. It sounded AWFUL! But if you played full organ in the middle of the small church it sounded perfect.

  • Someone asks what the "clunk" sound timed at 2m29s is. It's the 32' Trombone coming on for a split second. It seems Miss Bish was reaching for the 16' reed but grabbed the 32'. She realised her mistake and shoved the 32 back in but not quick enough to prevent it speaking briefly.

  • 2:28 is INSANE!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Anazing!

  • ok question. I know a conserdrable amount about Theater Organs *(Wurlitzer)* and im just wondering where the resinators for the 32' 's are? everyone is looking at the red pannel there waiting then they play and i see what looks to be 30 + foot wood open tibias but no reed pipes. Let me know if anyone can answer this. Thanks.

  • The big red pipes are the Open Wood pipes.

    Since the rebuild, most of the Pedal ranks are now in the main case; before this there were pedal ranks all over the place - in the south triforium, the north triforium, and behind the choir stalls.

  • Loud but not a quality sound by any means!

  • That has mostly to do with the camera's pathetic microphone, and its proximity the the powerful 32' Contrabass Trombone pipes.

  • good lord thats incredible

  • I meant to say HEAR , sorry for the typo

  • The 32' reed is obviously in that corner as you can here but it is not those square wooden pipes which are flue pipes

  • You know, the loudest CHAMDE TRUMPETS i have heard were the ones on the pipe organ at my parish church.

  • Wow, even my 16' Bombarde is louder when you hear it from that distance!

    And by the way, this reeds are only loud, not wonderful, powerful or anything like that. If you'd film a Cavaillé-Coll Bombarde 32' from that distance you'd probably hear nothing because your microphone is just overpowered.

  • get down with 64' and resultants on either of those two organs, apparently it will cause your bowels to fail(brown note theroy)

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  • Absolutely! Our church of St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol has a rank of 32' Double Ophicleides and a rank of 32' Contra Trombones (enclosed). When you draw both and open the swell fully, the reeds shake the place! Fantastic feeling having all that power at the disposal of your feet :-)

  • i take it you have to "fine-tune" those suckers with a chainsaw LOL

  • I play this organ every October, the 32ft Contra trombone is really only heard best from the Nave. The Video is being taken from behind the East Choir, Not Good. It is even overpowering in the Choir.

    Great Organ though.

  • remindes me of the overpowering

    16' Fagot (so not of the gay type ! lol)

    we have on our school organ. It sounds like this and in the main chapel it ruins the sound of the rest of the organ! You cant even use it for french romantic music except on the last chord.

  • The 32' double ophicleide in Durham Cathedral is simply devastating!! So is the rest of the bombarde division for that matte!!

  • Great sound. but the pipes in the video are not making it. They are 32 ft open wood. The 32 ft bombarde reed pipes are somewhere else, pity they are never shown in the video.

  • Look at 2:45 that ladies face is like "holy shit!" I think the sound being created took her by surprise LOL!

  • @poopingeneral Do you have to be so crude in your remarks?

  • @59swl rude? There's nothing rude in my remarks. It's true what I said in my remarks, just look at that face expression. It resembles someone taking a huge crap.

  • Oh dear. Trust the Americans.

    "The organ at Memorial Lutheran Church, where I am organist, has an even louder 32' Contra Bombarde on it than that"

    How can you tell - from a Video recording?

    Is LOUDER = BETTER?

  • who knows...we got the biggest in the world in New Jersey the Midmer Losh Organ.

  • Awesome bass.. I wish someday i'll see something like this:)

  • Amazing bass there. I'm from Tasmania, and there's a block of stone from this cathedral embedded in the wall of our own cathedral, aslo St. David's, here in Hobart.

  • That is some kick ass bass! I swear you could drown out a rock concert with that organ by itself!!!!! that was awesome! 5 stars!

  • The organ at Memorial Lutheran Church, where I am organist, has an even louder 32' Contra Bombarde on it than that. At Mem. Luth, they are more like Contra Festival Trumpets than Bombardes, you can never have enough 32'!!! To add there is also a full scale 32' Contra principal adn a 32' Sub-Bourdon :) Love my 32's!!!

  • You need to go to St. John the Divine in New York.....

  • I think, Bombardes ane generally louder than trombones.

  • true, but posaune's top it all

  • What a din. Mind you if you stick the microphone in with the pedal chests what do you expect?!

  • Anything is the loudest in the world if you're standing under it.

  • I konw what you mean It happened to me ( Easter 1977 Saint John The Divine NYC )

  • I know that thiis may not be quite to the point: that the great majority of the youtube vedios do not record the fundimental of the 32' stops, so, we hear but harmonics and individual beats, not quite so just, is it?

  • contras on steroids, they arent usually that loud

  • i wish i could play like that....that would be really cool

  • Has nobody noticed the sublime architecture?

  • where at?

  • St David's Cathedral!

    Mainly Norman and early gothic architecture.

    The composition of the organ is on Harrson and Harrison's website (major rebuild 1998-2000. IV/54 with 2 enclosed divisions.

  • Yes, if you look a few pages back. The nave arcade dates from the 1100s and is a superb example of transitional romanesque. The nave ceiling is breathtaking - it is intricately carved oak and dates from the middle of the sixteenth century.

  • Toll 5*

  • TOO LOUD BECAUSE YOU ARE NEXT TO IT!

    In the church it probbaly sounds wonderful.

    Thanks, Arie, for the stops

    and others for the interesting information.

    RWG  Denver, Colorado USA

  • Isn't there a 32' Serpent in Blackburn Cathedral?

    Does anyone know of a 32' Leviathan?

  • HaHa, "we're all amused by the removal of the "l" from the "motor pool"."

  • ?what?

  • Some information about the Contra Trombone.

    This Contra Trombone is orginaly from St Marylebone Parish Church. And it resonades a very powerfull note. A contra trombone can be made of inverded pyramide shape, zinc, pipe metal, or in some rare cases the are made of wood.

    In this case the are made of wood but most comenly it is a reed stop but NOT in this case. The 12 wooden pipes you see at the choir organ are the Contra Trombones.

  • You are incorrect.

    The Contra Trombone is a new rank made by Harrison suring the refit in 2000.

    Only the Double Open Wood 16' and the Open Diapason 16' came from Marylebone.

    Oh and FYI, I posted the Pedal Organ specs ages ago if you look back in the comments

  • Whether it was made by H&H or anyone else for that matter it sounds like a pile of old cobblers to me. The English are not convincing in the creation of 32' reeds. However if you cross the Channel you will find examples that will knock the spots of this huge farting machine all day long.

  • "huge farting machine"

    I love you !

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  • I don't now the specific details how a wood pipe can give that sound sorry. But it is rare you don't see it often.

    @robertgift: Thanks

  • A wood pipe is not making that sound. The 32' reed pipes that ARE making the sound are not visible in this video. The wood pipes that are seen are the lower notes of the 32' diapason. You can't get a contre trombone sound from a wooden labial pipe.

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  • For everywone here are the stops of the Pedal Organ OPEN DIAPASON (FROM 2) 32 OPEN DIAPASON WOOD 16 OPEN DIAPASON METAL 16 VIOLONE 16 BOURDON 16 PRINCIPAL 8 BASS FLUTE 8 FIIFTEENTH 4 CONTRA TROMBONE 32 TROMBONE (FROM 9) 16 OPHICLEIDE 16
  • Yea same here..but that church is way too small for such a big sound..the 32' contras are way too loud and they sound more like giant farts than musical notes..but still it would be cool to feel the vibration from that close up!!!

  • Hahaha, the lady jumps at 3:19. I would too!

  • I live by St Davids... and i thought that Diane Bisdh only played in America and Eurpoe but i was sooo exited when i saw this!!!!!!

  • I was standing right next to them.  In the main section of the church they are much less over-powering.

  • Who plays this Boelman? It is -- excepting of using 32"-- best of all interpretations, I heard.

  • Diane Bish is playing this piece on this video.

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  • Correct me if I am wrong but the Pipes u show in the video in the aisle is not the 32 Contra Trombones. They are the 32 double open from the instrument previously occupied in St Marylebone Church London. U woudn't get a full length 32 reed in the Harrison cases . There simply woudn't be the height or room for them. I would suspect the reed is actually half length and on 6 inches of wind.  I think the reeds only sound loud mainly because of the dry acoustic of the Cathedral .

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  • the 32 trombone and 16 trombone are under the cathedralo aisle so they are full length but only the top speaks in to the aisle along side the Tuba 8 on top of the organ case.

  • what rubbish

  • epic!

  • The individuals standing next to those loud pipes that bellowed were REALLY brave (or insane ;D!).

  • Correct me if I'm wrong but the loud clunk you hear at 2:29 is the pneumatic action of a very large pallet opening up in the Contra Tombones chest. You usually hear it with almost every other chest but its drowned out by the sound volume. In this case its such a large device its like moving a tree.

  • I've played the Harrison at St. David's recently. I wasn't overly impressed with the 32' Trombone, but then it's a totally different story when you're sat up in the gallery! :-)

  • It does sound a bit rough. It's not the fault of the organ - it's the chamber it speaks into. There's nor enough space, height, or acoustic to round off the sound or to give it a rolling effect.

  • Did you get shown around by Simon Pearce? He's lovely ;-)

  • I didn't meet Simon, I did however meet Alex Mason ;-) ;-)

  • I think the most devastating 32 ft in England is probably Westminster Cathedral's Willis. If fires straight down the nave from the West End. I used to live in West Wales. This is a lovely organ but far from the loudest organ. It sounds like you were right on top of those pipes hence not hearing the organ in balance.

  • haha! that was cool! So close as you could come up there with the pipes. Nice video!

  • This is so unsoectacular! Have you ever heard of the Cavaillé-Colls in St-Ouen, Sacre-Choeur or Notre Dame before 1992? The next time I'll record my organ, I'll put the camera one metre next to the Pedal stops and post it with the title "The loudest 16' Bombarde pipes I've ever heard."

  • to be fair, the maker of the video never claimed that these are the loudest contra trombone ranks in the world or anything like that. He/she just said they're the loudest ones they've heard - obviously proximity to the pipes has a lot to do with that in this case. Most sensible people viewing the vid would have understood this.

  • mistakes on 0'22 , 0'27 1'09

  • There are little slips all the way through, She also makes mistakes on the Salome Grand Choeur on the same organ. Perhaps she didn't like the consoles? I admire her actually, going all around the world playing complicated pieces on organs that are very unfamiliar to her. Must be difficult.

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  • Awesome! Sounds like a Creature being awoken from deep sleep! I agree with ya man, 32' sare not such a good idea for an older building, especially mounted on da wall!!!!

  • Great video, but does anyone else who has some knowledge of organs think that maybe the reed needs to be regulated? Sounds a bit off.

  • Of course, once you stand right next to the 32', their sound overweighs the discant part. This construction is made for the audience facing the front of the organ.

  • The human ears are not able to locate the source of low frequencies like 32' or 16'. This is why it is not important where you place those pipes in the church. The beuatiful medieval choir barrier would not be stable enough to bear a complete organ of a 32' size.

  • they will look great if placed outside of the chamber

  • If I might comment, the human ear is able to locate those sound, but not the sound from a 64'

  • i've been in this church a few of days ago, the organ is marvellous

  • are you sure the RED pipes are TROMBONES?

  • The Trombones aren't visible in this video. (only audible) The large square red pipes seen here are part of the Double Open Diapason 32' rank.

  • Sorry, the red pipes are not OPEN.

  • Really. What are they then?

  • How would you know if they're open or not? The biggest one appears to be at least 30 feet long, so it must be open, otherwise we're looking at a 64' subbass, which is impossible. Besides, the specs posted for the Pedal division shows no stopped 32' stop. It's an Open Diapason 32', period.

  • The pipes you see in the South aisle (the a square ones painted red) are of course made of wood and is the 32' Double Open Wood gifted as lustful2 says below from St Marylebone Church, London. The 32' Contra Trombone you hear on this recording is located in the Quire Screen facing onto the the South Aisle (where the recordist is located). Not sure whether they're full length but I would assume the bottom octave is probably zig-zagged a little bit - no harm in this and no effect on quality etc.

  • thats outrageous why don't i go 2 inches away from the flute, and post the loudest flute. It is completely out of context and therefore useless.

    Did you see the chairs there, I would NOT want to sit there

  • They were the loudest I've heard FROM WHERE I WAS STANDING. I was standing in a section of the church where the congregation is not normally at. If you were to stand where the congregation is normally at, the Contra Trombones would be much quieter and blend in with the rest of the organ. I was just trying to show how loud the Contra Trombones are when you stand right next to them.

  • Its so loud because your right next to the chamber....its the same as if you were to put the mic next to the mixt