The MacAlba

Once upon a time, long, long ago when I was knee high to a grasshopper, etc, I used to sing soprano in the church choir. The assembled group sat high above the congregation in the organ loft. I spent many an idle moment trying to work out just how the organist could possibly remain seated in one spot given that he had no solid grounding - both arms and legs would flail around, operating the multiple keyboards and organ stops. I wondered how much pressure was required to generate the volume of air that must be piped through the seemingly miles of organ pipes.

I had forgotten those days until I recently read a description by “but she’s a girl” of her recent attendance at a concert at Lichfield Cathedral. The remark that made me smile the most was the description of the work being “prefaced by a thunderous introduction”, by the use of the organ stop marked Armageddon with Knobs On. I could just imagine myself up there in that organ loft all those years ago.