Music at St. Mary's
Music is an important part of worship here at St. Mary's Church. Everyone is invited to participate. Please see below for details of our
Choir, Music Group and
Rockmass. We use Ancient and Modern (New standard) and New Hymns and Worship Songs as sources
for our music. Many of our services are conducted with the
Organ in this church, a Grey and Davison, approximately 150 years old.
For further information contact the Parish Office.
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The Choir
St. Mary's Church Choir leads the singing at many of the services and
weddings. Children (from about age seven) and adults are invited to join
our friendly group. Traditional, SATB 4-part harmony and modern
worship songs are included in the choir's diverse repertoire. Anthems are often chosen from the New Church Anthem Book.
Choir practice is from 7.00 pm.
Here are some of the archive photographs of the choir.
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Rockmass
Periodically, Rockmass comes to St Mary's. Previously run in conjunction with
Dunston Park Church, and now with St Barnabas Church, this
is high-energy, stimulating worship including communion. With Christian Rock music and a light show, this is an
exhilarating experience led by top-quality musicians. Includes an address by a well-known speaker. Click
here for pictures from previous events.
See calender page for dates.
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The Church Organ
The organ was
installed in 1845. The organ was built by Gray and Davison's of
London. Originally, it had just a single manual, and no pedals,
and cost £132. Pedals were added in 1850, at a cost of £40. In
1857-1858, the organ was replaced with another Gray and Davison
organ, at a cost of £300. The new organ had two manuals and
pedals. The organ was either replaced or upgraded in 1866, as it
then became a three manual organ. This work cost £400.
According to the National Pipe Organ Register, Gray and Davison
did further work on the organ in 1955, when pneumatic action was
apparently added to the pedals - although today they appear to be
direct action again, so perhaps this is a mistake in the records.
The most recent major service of the organ took
place in 1994, when the work was carried out by John Budgen. At
that time, a new Oboe stop was added, onto the Swell manual. The
three manuals are of 56 notes, whilst the pedalboard (straight,
flat) has 30 notes. The swell is the only enclosed section.
Current specification
Stops Left of console |
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Stops Right of console |
| Department |
Stop Name |
Pitch |
Department |
Stop Name |
Pitch |
| Swell |
Clarion |
4 |
Choir |
Clarinet |
8 |
| Oboe |
8 |
Piccola |
2 |
| Cornopean |
8 |
Flute |
4 |
| Mixture |
ii |
Gemshorn |
8 |
| Fifteenth |
2 |
Lieblich Gedackt |
8 |
| Principal |
4 |
Dulciana |
8 |
| Stopped Diapason |
8 |
Great |
Trumpet |
8 |
| Keranlaphone |
8 |
Mixture |
ii |
| Open Diapason |
8 |
Fifteenth |
2 |
| Double Diapason |
16 |
waldflute |
4 |
| Couplers |
Swell to Pedal |
Gamba |
8 |
| Swell to Great |
Principal |
4 |
| Great to Pedal |
Clarinet Flute |
8 |
| Swell to Choir |
Open Diapason |
8 |
| Choir to Pedal |
Pedal |
Grand Bourbon |
16 |
|
Grand Open Diapason |
16 |
The organ has drawstops, made out of ivory, with text in a difficult to read Gothic.
Samples of organ playing from St Mary's, Thatcham Tuba Tune (490Kb) and
Cesar Frank Piece (1.2Mb) played and recorded by Iain Davies. We are working on
ways to improve the quality of recordings.
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