The power of an impressive organ at Christmas time

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Choir member, Mary Duncan, grew up in Edinburgh and has things to share about St Giles' Cathedral - our first stop in Scotland.



Not a cathedral in the traditional sense of the word, St Giles is the High Kirk of Edinburgh. This medieval church dates back to the 12th century and boasts the crown steeple dated to 1495. John Knox, the famous theologian, leader of the country's reformation and founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland served as minister here and the church has hosted the Scottish Parliament.

The origin of St Giles is lost in the midst of time. The oldest features are said to be four pillars, apparently dating back to 1124, but there may have been a church on or near that site since 854 AD. In 1243, the Bishop of St Andrews finally dedicated the church. It was only later that the church was rededicated to St Giles. The church was damaged by a fire in 1385, but was rebuilt and extended with Guild Chapels, Chantria and a chapel set up to hold a relic of St Giles. 


The church was heavily restored in the 19th century. Chapels were pulled down, partitions removed and the exterior encased in ashlar. 

New stained glass was inserted and today the Victorian glass is one of the Cathedral's great treasures. One of the best windows is at the north end, designed by the Pre-Raphelite master, Edward Burne Jones. More modern is the large west window, celebrating the life of Robert Burns. Another commemorates Robert Louis Stevenson.

One of the most recent additions to the Cathedral is also one of its best features. The Thistle Chapel -  designed by the architect Sir Robert Lorimer, in 1911. The chapel is home to the Knights of the Thistle, Scotland's equivalent to the Order of the Garter in England. The chapel is designed in high Gothic with richly coloured heraldic symbols and intricately carved symbols.



The present St Giles' organ was built in 1992 by the Austrian firm, Rieger Orgenbau, in consultation with Herrick Bunney and Peter Hurford. The instrument, with its distinctive case of Austrian oak, designed by Douglas Laird, stands in the south transept. This 1992 organ was completely new except for a few additions retained from the previous organ, which is the one I remember from services and recitals I attended as a teenager in the late 1950s. At that time Herrick Bunney was the organist and almost managed to drown out the huge volume of sound coming from the masses of people gathered to sing their hearts out at the Watchnight service on Christmas Eve. The present Master of Music and organist is Michael Harris and the assistant organist, Jordan English.



Video Credit: You Tube, St Giles' Cathedral - St Giles' Cathedral Christmas Organ Recital 24th December 2020

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