Amazing Grace Washington National Cathedral Pipe Organ

William Bolcom's supremely inventive version of this old chestnut. The first 2 minutes will KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF !! The complete piece clocks in at around 15 minutes -- too long for YouTube. So I had to make a couple of judicious cuts. Hopefully, they're not too obvious.


Bolcom has served on the faculty at the Univ. of Michigan for many years, & is a prolific composer in a number of genres. His 12 Gospel Preludes were published in 4 Books over several years.

The grand old instrument is a IV/189 masterpiece by Ernest M Skinner, with several modifications/additions over the years.

Performance is by Christopher Jacobson

Category:

Music

Tags:

• pipe
• organ
• Washington
• National
• Cathedral
• Amazing
• Grace
• orgue
• orgel
• organo
• Bolcom
• Gospel
• Preludes
• Christopher
• Jacobson

[a55b47]

I know the arrangement -- and love it. I'm not aware of any recordings of it at the Cathedral, but I've seen several recordings of it on CD. My favorite is probably a performance on the wonderful Aeolian-Skinner at the Church of the Advent in Boston. I can't remember the name of the performer, & don't have access to my CD collection right now.

[dricaaudi]

Questo si chiama Amazing Grace???

Isto se chama AmazingGrace???

Is this Amazing Grace???

[a55b47]

It's William Bolcom's version ;-) I have also posted Gerre Hancock's version from St. Thomas Church in NYC. 2 distinctly different styles of variations.

[1950Bob]

A bit over the top for me. I love what Ives did with America the Beautful, for example ... but as an admitted layman who just loves pipe organs I kept waiting ... and waiting ...to hear Amazing Grace. I'm the kind of guy Ive's famously wanted to "knock over the ropes." Well, Mr. Bolcom, I knew Charles Ives. I was a fan of his since I was a kid, and you're no Charles Ives. (Just kidding.) Thanks ever so much for all these videos. I am in HEAVEN since I found them. And you are teaching me a lot!

[a55b47]

Check out the Gerre Hancock improv. on Amazing Grace that I uploaded a few months ago. It may be more to your liking. I have mixed feelings about Bolcom: some of his stuff is really inventive & listenable, & some goes completely over my head.

[1950Bob]

Now THAT's Amazing Grace!

[a55b47]

I was just giving it a re-listen myself, & I'm inclined to agree with you ;-) Dr. Hancock is, for my money, the greatest living American improviser -- and maybe the greatest ever.

[vdanker]

No.

[jqfarmer]

You do have Bolcom's "What a Friend We Have in Jesus"? Would love to see it posted if you do!

[jpeanrkode]

@trompettechamade1 That's what I meant. There is a Cathedral in the game that appears to be modeled after this one. At least the architecture is very similar.

[trompettechamade1]

@jpeanrkode Not unless the playstation game is over 100 years old! This cathedral was started in 1908 and completed in 1990. Maybe the playstation game used this cathedral as its model.

[Alex111Hall]

I guess you can do anything and call it Amazing Grace. You can call it anything you want. But it doesn't sound like Amazing Grace to me.

[trompettechamade1]

@hgykyggbhy All great architects were inspired by those who came before them without copying their predecessors. It does have resemblences to York in its proportions, but it also resembles Westminster Abbey (it ends in a polygonal apse, not a flat wall like York), and the front has a certain resemblanve to Notre Dame (Paris, not the others), but it is still very much an original design, influenced by the past but not copying any one church.

[parpaillotcamisard]

Definitively Protestant hymnology , as compared to the Roman Catholic one ...

[alextilson]

@hgykyggbhy Typical americans trying to copy the majesty of york minster here in York, England, 

[sz8142]

a little bit noisy before 2′02″