On the west side of our cathedral there is a nineteenth-century organ made by Pierre Schyven. The instrument reminds us of an important truth: a cathedral cannot be whole unless it is filled with music. With the sound of organ pipes as well as singing. You can experience this during the many concerts that take place here and in particular during Sunday Mass, which places special focus on chorus singing. The organ case and organ pipes you see here are not part of the actual instrument. They belong to an older cathedral organ and only act as a façade these days. The 5,777 pipes that do produce music cannot be seen from the nave of the church but this doesn’t make the experience any less spectacular when the organist pulls out all the stops.
Schyven Organ
My home once lay among the clouds of Mount Wu,
I would often hear the Flowing Springs of that mountain.
The jade zither gradually reaches heights of desolation–
Just like what I used to hear in my dreams.
The Three Gorges are far off, several thousand miles,
Yet all at once they flow into these lonely inner chambers.
Huge rocks, tumbling cliffs, flow from these playing fingers,
Flying rapids, running waves arise from the strings.
At first it seems to be the angry sound of storm and thunder;
Then again, sobbing moans, as if unable to flow–
Swirling whirlpools, eddying rapids, as if expending their last–
And now, again, dripping on smooth sand.
I remember of old when Ruan Ji composed this tune,
Even Zhong Rong could not hear it enough.
Play it once to the end, then play it again,
I wish we could make these flowing springs go on forever!
Schyven Organ
When this organ was inaugurated at the end of the nineteenth century, many specialists criticised the instrument. They felt it didn’t sound powerful enough. During extensive restoration works in 2015 it was discovered that one of the organ’s four bellows was not connected. This means that for over a century, the organ was unable to play at full strength. Poor Pierre Schyven never understood why his instrument didn’t function optimally. He would be so proud if he could hear his creation today!
Schyven Organ
Football supporters in a stadium know the power of singing together better than anyone. The music in a church building has the same effect. Singing in chorus binds people in sadness and joy. Contrary to football supporters, churchgoers don’t have to do without instrumental accompaniment. The tradition of accompanying church singing with organ sounds has existed for over a thousand years. Imagine a pipe organ as a collection of flutes. It creates sound by blowing air through pipes. The longer the pipe, the lower the tone. Over the centuries several leading names in church music have worked for The Cathedral. Nonetheless, the churchgoers are the most important musicians. Like the supporters in a stadium, they are there to sing at the top of their voice during services.
