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What makes the organ so mighty?

Tom Service explores what makes the organ so mighty with the help of organist Anna Lapwood.

Tom Service takes on the largest instrument created by human hands: the organ. With the help of organist Anna Lapwood, Tom asks: what makes the organ so mighty? Why has it fascinated musicians from Bach to Procol Harum? Along the way, Tom will delve into the Delphian roots of the organ and we鈥檒l hear what its ancestor the Hydraulis sounded like, created in ancient Egypt. And we鈥檒l drop in on Madison Square Garden where Gladys Gooding entertained huge audiences at sports events for over thirty years, starting in the 1930s. Finally, we鈥檒l hear what makes the organ timeless and immortal in music by John Cage and Olivier Messiaen. All hail: the organ!

Available now

29 minutes

Last on

Fri 28 Jul 2023 16:30

Broadcasts

  • Sun 4 Oct 2020 17:00
  • Fri 9 Oct 2020 16:30
  • Sun 1 Aug 2021 17:00
  • Fri 6 Aug 2021 16:30
  • Sun 23 Jul 2023 17:00
  • Fri 28 Jul 2023 16:30

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