CHOIR AND ORGAN
Music at St Bride's
Music plays a large part in the life of St Bride's. The building has a wonderful acoustic which complements the sound of the organ and the choir. As the church uses the 1970 Liturgy, this allows us to sing settings of the mass, from Byrd and his contemporaries to Darke and MacMillan, and during Advent and Lent we have the opportunity to sing plainsong. There is a motet each Sunday, which reflects the times of the Church Year.
Choral Evensong is sung on the third Sunday of the month (except during July and August), and at Christmas there is a service of Nine Lessons and Carols.
The current music sheet (for November 2009) is here.
St Bride's has a small but talented choir that includes a number of young choral scholars. There are up to six scholarships available during the academic year. In addition to usual services, the choir regularly participates in the Scottish Guild of Servers services around the Diocese. St Bride's is one of the Churches featured in UK Cathedral Music Links.
If you are interested in joining the choir, or would like more information about the choral scholarships, please contact the choirmaster, David Spottiswoode, or make yourself known after any of the sung services.
The Organ
This instrument is of particular historic interest, having been the first organ to be lawfully installed and used during worship in a Scottish presbyterian church - its original home was Anderston Established Church (later Anderston and St Peter's Parish Church).
As a result of the union of the Church of Scotland congregations in the Anderston district, the Anderston and St Peter's building became redundant, and the organ was removed to storage in 1969. It was re-erected in its present home in 1972, replacing a nine-stop three-manual and pedal Peter Conacher chamber organ, which had been in the church since 1916.
The specification is below:
Organ by Hill (1865), Mirrlees (1882), and MacKenzie (1972)
| Hill (1865) | Mirrlees (1882) | MacKenzie (1972) |
|---|---|---|
| Pedal (1+1 stops) | Pedal (2+2 stops) | Pedal (2+2 stops) |
| Open Diapason 16 | Open Diapason 16 29 | Open Diapason 16 30 w |
| Bourdon 16 29 | Bourdon 16 30 w | |
| Great to Pedal | Great to Pedal | Great to Pedal |
| Swell to Pedal | Swell to Pedal | |
| Great (9+1 stops) | Great (9+1 stops) | Great (9+1 stops) |
| Open Diapason 8 56 | Open Diapason 8 56 | Open Diapason 8 56 z+m |
| Stopped Diapason 8 56 | Stopped Diapason 8 56 | Stopped Diapason 8 56 w |
| Dulciana (TC) 8 44 | Dulciana (TC) 8 44 | Dulciana (TC) 8 56 m |
| Principal 4 56 | Principal 4 56 | Principal 4 56 m |
| Wald Flute 4 44 | Wald Flute 4 44 | Wald Flute 4 44 w |
| Twelfth 2+ 56 | Gamba 8 56 | Twelfth 2+ 56 m |
| Fifteenth 2 56 | Fifteenth 2 56 | Fifteenth 2 56 m |
| Mixture (3 rks) 1+ 168 | Clarionet 8 44 | Mixture (3 rks) 1+ 168 m |
| Trumpet 8 56 | Trumpet 8 56 | Trumpet 8 56 m |
| Swell to Great | Swell to Great | Swell to Great |
| Swell (6 stops) | Swell (8 stops) | Swell (8 stops) |
| Bourdon 16 44 | Bourdon 16 56 | Bourdon 16 56 w |
| Open Diapason 8 44 | Open Diapason 8 56 | Open Diapason 8 56 m |
| Stopped Diapason 8 44 | Stopped Diapason 8 44 | Stopped Diapason 8 56 w |
| Principal 4 44 | Principal 4 56 | Principal 4 56 m |
| Fifteenth 2 56 | Fifteenth 2 56 t | |
| Mixture (3 rks) 1+ 168 | Sharp Mixture (3 rks) 1+ 168 y | |
| Horn 8 44 | Horn 8 56 | Horn 8 56 m |
| Oboe 8 44 | Oboe 8 44 | Oboe 8 56 m |
| Accessories | Accessories | Accessories |
| 3 compo.pedals to Great | 3 compo.pedals to Great | 3 compo.pedals to Great |
| Level swell pedal | Level swell pedal | Balanced swell pedal |
| Tremulant (c.1903) | Tremulant | |
| Mechanical action | Mechanical action | Mechanical action |
| Hand blowing | Hand blowing | "Discus" electric blowing |
| Hydraulic blowing (c1903) | Humidifier | |
| Electric blowing (1927) | ||
Pipework Materials
z = zinc, m = plain metal, t = 75% tin / 25% lead, w = wood