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Cathedral of Saint John the Divine
USINFO | 2013-05-03 13:02
The Cathedral of St. John: The Great Divine, officially the Cathedral Church of Saint John: The Great Divine in the City and Diocese of New York, is the cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It is located at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York City (between West 110th Street, which is also known as "Cathedral Parkway", and 113th Street) in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. The New York St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center and the campus of Columbia University are nearby.
The cathedral disputes with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral the title of the largest cathedral and Anglican church[1] and fourth largest Christian church in the world. The inside covers 121,000 sq ft (11,200 m2), spanning a length of 183.2 meters (601 ft) and height 70.7 meters (232 ft). The inside height of the nave is 37.8 meters (124 feet).
The cathedral, designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, has, in its history, undergone radical stylistic changes and the interruption of the two World Wars. Originally designed as Byzantine-Romanesque, the plan was changed after 1909 to a Gothic design.[2][4] After a large fire on December 18, 2001, it was closed for repairs and reopened in November 2008. It remains unfinished, with construction and restoration a continuing process.
The size of the church's interior, larger than that of any of the European cathedrals, presents a superlative level of natural acoustics that confer a reverb time greater than eight seconds and an organic brilliance of tone. Music of many genres, including chant, choral music, organ music, and hymnody adapted for large cathedrals is therefore important for the worship regularly celebrated in its nave.
The cathedral is additionally a major center for concert musical performances in New York. Organ recitals are held regularly weekdays at noon and most Sundays at 5:15pm, as well as on special occasions. In addition, several times a year on selected Sundays at 5:15pm, the St. James's Recital Series features performances by local musicians, pianists in particular; recitals follow the 4pm Choral Evensong in St. James Chapel and are free and open to the public.
The cathedral has an annual New Year's Eve Concert for Peace. The Postlude to Act I of Leonard Bernstein's opera Quiet Place received its New York premiere at the 1985 concert. The 1990 concert was a tribute to Bernstein himself, who helped found the event and had died two months earlier on October 14.
Duke Ellington's Second Sacred Concert, of his original sacred music compositions, premiered at the cathedral on January 19, 1968. No recording of the performance has surfaced to date. After its debut performance, the Second Sacred Concert was recorded on January 22 and February 19, 1968 at Fine Studio, New York City. The concert was originally issued as a double LP on Prestige Records. It was later reissued on a single CD without the original tracks "Don't Get Down On Your Knees To Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone" and "Father Forgive". Performing at the recording session were Ellington on the piano and doing the narration, 16 of his orchestra members, four vocalists including the Swedish singer Alice Babs, and five choirs: the AME Mother Zion Church Choir, the choirs Of St Hilda's and St. Hugh's School, the Central Connecticut State College Singers, and the Frank Parker Singers.
In 1990, the avant-garde musician Diamanda Galas performed Plague Mass, a culmination of her work dedicated to the victims of the AIDS epidemic. Galas' performance consisted of covering her body in cattle blood and reinterpreting biblical texts and classic literature; she said it was a protest against what she saw as the ignorance and condemnation towards people with AIDS from religious and political groups.
The Great Organ was built by the renowned organbuilder E.M. Skinner in 1911. It is one of five organs in the cathedral complex. It is located above the Choir on the North and South sides. In 1952, it was enlarged by the Aeolian Skinner Organ Company. During this rebuild, the State Trumpet was added and placed below the rose window. Speaking on fifty inches of wind pressure, it is among the most powerful organ stops in the world. In late 2001, a fire in the North Transept resulted in heavy smoke damage to the organ. The Great Organ is currently valued at over eight million U.S. dollars.
The cathedral disputes with Liverpool Anglican Cathedral the title of the largest cathedral and Anglican church[1] and fourth largest Christian church in the world. The inside covers 121,000 sq ft (11,200 m2), spanning a length of 183.2 meters (601 ft) and height 70.7 meters (232 ft). The inside height of the nave is 37.8 meters (124 feet).
The cathedral, designed in 1888 and begun in 1892, has, in its history, undergone radical stylistic changes and the interruption of the two World Wars. Originally designed as Byzantine-Romanesque, the plan was changed after 1909 to a Gothic design.[2][4] After a large fire on December 18, 2001, it was closed for repairs and reopened in November 2008. It remains unfinished, with construction and restoration a continuing process.
The size of the church's interior, larger than that of any of the European cathedrals, presents a superlative level of natural acoustics that confer a reverb time greater than eight seconds and an organic brilliance of tone. Music of many genres, including chant, choral music, organ music, and hymnody adapted for large cathedrals is therefore important for the worship regularly celebrated in its nave.
The cathedral is additionally a major center for concert musical performances in New York. Organ recitals are held regularly weekdays at noon and most Sundays at 5:15pm, as well as on special occasions. In addition, several times a year on selected Sundays at 5:15pm, the St. James's Recital Series features performances by local musicians, pianists in particular; recitals follow the 4pm Choral Evensong in St. James Chapel and are free and open to the public.
The cathedral has an annual New Year's Eve Concert for Peace. The Postlude to Act I of Leonard Bernstein's opera Quiet Place received its New York premiere at the 1985 concert. The 1990 concert was a tribute to Bernstein himself, who helped found the event and had died two months earlier on October 14.
Duke Ellington's Second Sacred Concert, of his original sacred music compositions, premiered at the cathedral on January 19, 1968. No recording of the performance has surfaced to date. After its debut performance, the Second Sacred Concert was recorded on January 22 and February 19, 1968 at Fine Studio, New York City. The concert was originally issued as a double LP on Prestige Records. It was later reissued on a single CD without the original tracks "Don't Get Down On Your Knees To Pray Until You Have Forgiven Everyone" and "Father Forgive". Performing at the recording session were Ellington on the piano and doing the narration, 16 of his orchestra members, four vocalists including the Swedish singer Alice Babs, and five choirs: the AME Mother Zion Church Choir, the choirs Of St Hilda's and St. Hugh's School, the Central Connecticut State College Singers, and the Frank Parker Singers.
In 1990, the avant-garde musician Diamanda Galas performed Plague Mass, a culmination of her work dedicated to the victims of the AIDS epidemic. Galas' performance consisted of covering her body in cattle blood and reinterpreting biblical texts and classic literature; she said it was a protest against what she saw as the ignorance and condemnation towards people with AIDS from religious and political groups.
The Great Organ was built by the renowned organbuilder E.M. Skinner in 1911. It is one of five organs in the cathedral complex. It is located above the Choir on the North and South sides. In 1952, it was enlarged by the Aeolian Skinner Organ Company. During this rebuild, the State Trumpet was added and placed below the rose window. Speaking on fifty inches of wind pressure, it is among the most powerful organ stops in the world. In late 2001, a fire in the North Transept resulted in heavy smoke damage to the organ. The Great Organ is currently valued at over eight million U.S. dollars.
