AVE MARIA - SCHUBERT (ORGAN SOLO - JONATHAN SCOTT) ST MARY’S CHURCH, FAILSWORTH

Jonathan Scott performs his solo organ arrangement of Ave Maria by Franz Schubert at the organ of St. Mary’s R.C. Church, Failsworth, Manchester. The score of this transcription is available here: “This is the instrument where I first began playing the organ when I became organist at the age of 10 and taught myself to play the pedals! I practised on this instrument and played for all services, weddings and funerals for the next 7 years. I was glad of the opportunity to return to make this video and record a piece which I often played here and I feel perfectly suits this beautiful modern Catholic Church.” Jonathan St. Mary’s R.C. Church, The Immaculate Conception, Failsworth, Manchester, UK. St Mary’s in Failsworth was conceived as a Roman Catholic devotional shrine to the Virgin Mary in Romanesque basilican style and was opened in 1964. The previous Church of St. Mary was opened in 1865, but closed in 1959 due to subsidence and was demolished in 1964. A new Church was designed by Tadeusz Lesisz (1918-2009) of Greenhalgh & Williams architects in 1961. Leisiz had a distinguished career as a Naval Officer in WWII, studied to be an architect at Oxford and was one of the most important figures in Manchester’s Polish Community. Today the Church retains almost all of its original features, and it contains many striking original designs including a huge mosaic reredos of ’Our Lady of all Graces’ designed by a young parishioner, B. Nolan, which was made in Italy and installed by Alberti, Lupton & Co. of Moston. The west front entrance archway houses a suspended aluminium figure of the Virgin Mary made by E & J Blackwell and designed by Lesisz as a depiction of ’The Immaculate Conception’. The statue in the Lady Chapel is described as ’A vision by St Catherine of Mary as Queen of the Universe’. The stained glass is by Charles Lightfoot and incorporates many pieces from the original Victorian Church including a large west window of the Assumption, and Ascension of Mary into heaven. The organ in the west gallery is a 6 rank extension instrument installed by Jardine & Co. of Manchester in 1964. SPECIFICATION PEDAL 16 Open Wood A 16 Violone B 16 Bourdon C 8 OctaveA 8 Flute C 4 Octave Flute C SWELL 16 Contra Salicional D 8 Diapason Minor B 8 Salicional D 8 Lieblich Gedeckt C 4 Principal B 4 Salicet D 4 Lieblich Flote C 2 Fifteenth B 2 Salicetina D 1 Twenty Second III Mixture [?] 16 Double Trumpet F 8 Trumpet F 4 Clarion F Tremulant GREAT 16 Double Open Diapason A 8 Diapason Major A 8 Diapason Minor B 8 Salicional D 8 Lieblich Gedeckt C 8 Clarabella E 4 Octave A 4 Claribel Flute E 2 Super Octave A 8 Trumpet F COUPLERS Swell to Great Swell to Pedal Great to Pedal A Unenclosed B-F Enclosed (Except bottom octave of Pedals) The video was produced by Scott Brothers Duo