St. Phillips Cathedral Organ Concert
- Padre
- Nov 6, 2018
- 2 min read
Monday, October 29, 2018
Passau, Germany
As I write this chronologically it is Tuesday, November 6th, and I’m in Budapest getting ready to depart for Vienna...and I haven’t even gotten you on the cruise yet!!
Well, in trip time we sail tonight for Linz (or Salzburg) whichever tour you decide to take. But before we leave Passau I want to tell you about an absolutely extraordinary experience.
After buying my GQ pants made of gold I walked up the hill to meet the rest of the group at St. Phillips Cathedral, the diocesan seat of Vienna. It is an incredible structure and there are a multitude of pictures of the inside.
But what is most extraordinary is the organ, or I should say, five organs. When they are played together there are almost 18,000 (yes, eighteen thousand) pipes. The range from the tiniest,sounding above the range of normal hearing (+/- 20,000-30,000 cps) to the largest, sounding below normal hearing (+/- 30 cps).
The organist was an incredible artist who stretched the capabilities of the organ to its max. I’m a lover of the bass, and at times the floor of the centuries old cathedral vibrated so much you could feel your chair move.
I wish there was some way I could let you share in the experience, but pictures will have to suffice.
Tonight we have the Captain’s Welcome Aboard cocktail party where he will introduce the staff. The TV in my room (actually all the rooms) has a live channel in the Lounge so I’m planning to watch from the room in comfortable clothes rather than dressing up.
We’ll be sailing all night, and when we wake tomorrow we’ll be docked in Linz. The story will continue from there, although I plan to take it as a rest day since all of the options require a lot of walking.
Reflections: I am awed by the craftsmanship that goes into building the cathedrals. I left the picture large hoping the picture of the High Altar (and it'sn not the most ornate) would awe you as it did me. And there are literally thousands of churches across Europe that would put any American cathedrals to shame. Ken Follett wrote a novel, “Pillars of the Earth” about the era, but nothing compares to seeing the actual structures. You’ve already seen three of them, two in Renesburg and the Cathedral in Passau. Before the trip is over you’ll see pictures of many more, both interior and exterior. They truly are, in the most spiritual sense of the word, awe inspiring.
Till next time…..
Blessings and Peace!
Padre
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