Swansea, St Mary's Church, Acoustic violin and Sound design

Mario SoundWalk Experience. Swansea, St Mary's Church, Acoustic violin and Sound design.

On February 18, 2024, I recorded the sound of a church organ while on a sound walk.

The interior of the church resonated with the clear and powerful sound of the historic organ. In the background, you can also hear the natural ambiance and the voices of those present, including the organist and university students who were capturing the unique sounds in the space. Here you can hear my recording

It is often said that the current St Mary’s is the fifth or sixth church on the site. This is an oversimplification. The church has evolved, retaining earlier features while striking out on new courses. St Mary’s was caught up in the seventeenth century (along with the whole of Swansea) in the British civil wars. Revd Morgan Hopkins was ejected for royalist sympathies and had to wait for the Restoration of Charles II to be reinstated. By 1700 significant weaknesses were starting to appear in the fabric of the mediaeval building.

This process culminated in the collapse of the nave in 1739. The replacement nave was small and cheap and a constant headache for later generations. Significant enhancements to church life were however afforded by the addition of a new organ in the 1760s, gas lighting in the early 1820s, the benefaction of a valuable baroque painting of the Madonna and Child (1825), and the enhancement of the bells (1720, 1879).

Mario_SoundWalk Experience I have compiled a special collection of sound recordings captured during my walks in Swansea city centre, as well in the surrounding beaches and bays. St Mary's Church in Swansea and my five strings acoustic violin.

I will share a fantastic recording featuring a sound postcard from the interior of the historic St Mary's Church in Swansea. This is the perfect place to meditate, reflect, and close your eyes for a moment. Here, you can truly feel the ambiance around you and the music that surrounds you, emanating from every corner of this incredible stone interior.

You will find the historic organ, whose majestic sound allows you to momentarily escape the hustle and bustle of the nearby city center. This space provides the contrast and tranquility you seek for personal rejuvenation.

This recording will contrast the sounds of the city with those of the roadway along the city beach. Additionally, I will incorporate my acoustic five-string violin, which adds colour and mystery to the soundscapes.

The piece will be based on spontaneous improvisation, blending the sounds of the violin strings with the rhythms of the city, the church, and the beach.

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