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    Frederik Magle
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    Krummhorn
    Co-Administrator

Won't a glass church be lovely??

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
Amusing extract from the sleeve notes to a CD that turned up from the States for me today (Four Masterworks for Organ, Frederick Swann, at the Crystal Cathedral, CA) and I quote directly without edits:

Digital technology makes it possible to produce recordings that are void of extraneous sounds. if the circumstances permit it. The circumstances at The Crystal Cathedral do not permit it. Unlike a recording studio, the room noise in the Cathedral never drops below 65dB. The weather in Southern California is wonderfulfor people and growing things, but for an organ in a glass building with no heat or air conditioning, it present serious tuning problems. The temperature in the building and organ chambers can easily vary 40 or 50 degrees in a 24-hour period. This leaves about a three-hour period in whcih the organ tuning is acceptable for recording purposes. The sun and heat can also produce interesting sound effects with the glass. As the glass heats during the day and cools in the evening, it frequently pops, groans, and creeks. Normal organ action noise is alos faithfully captured in this recording.

Made me smile !! Can't WAIT to get it home and listen to it!!
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Hi CT,

Interesting sleeve notes ... I've been to this place on several occasions (it's only a 10 hour trip from where I live) and have heard the organ live as well as in several CD recordings of it that I own. The main organ case is on the North wall - the antiphonal is on the South, but the pipework is protected from the sun rays. Very little, if any, direct direct sunshine ever makes contact with the pipework in either location. Same is true for the East and West Horizontal Trumpets, that also contain some digital voices.

Granted, there is no AC, but there are heaters, from what I am told. The temperature is maintained by the automatic (thermostat controlled) opening and closing of various glass panels high in the building ... there are also other strategically placed glass panels that are also computer controlled to let hot air out or admit cooler air in.

Once each year, the entire exterior glass is washed ... before Easter, if memory serves correctly.

I'll be interested to hear what you have to say about the recording. Fred Swann is indeed a superb artist - I've heard him play on several occasions in live performances.
 

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
Hello CT64,

And then one has the nesting birds to contend with and their little peepers.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce
 

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
Hi CT64,

You know what they say: Don't be throwing no rocks whilst inside a glass house. :grin::grin::grin:
 

methodistgirl

New member
I know that you are talking about the famous Crystal Cathedral in this
thread. What I would like to find is a little church made from crystal
to put on the table or under a christmas tree that played music.
That would be really cute. Have you ever seen one of those and brought
one home? I go gaga over things like that.:grin:
judy tooley
 
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