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Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 9:47 pm
by melvind
This is an interesting English Gramophone Company 12" 78 rpm commemorative record made by John McCormack to support the building fund of the Christ the King Cathedral in Liverpool in 1932. The back of the record has no music, but has a rather elaborate picture that shows Archbishop Richard Downey and John McCormack and a drawing of the proposed new cathedral. Rare, at least in the USA, and super clean.

It is a nice electrical recording and has organ (played by Herbert Dawson) and a male octet as accompaniment. A religious hymn whose style will be recognized in style to anyone that has attended an English based Catholic or Church of England service. The American Episcopal church also uses music very much like this.

[youtubehd]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxMsJOCng88[/youtubehd]
https://youtu.be/dxMsJOCng88

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Re: Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:47 am
by epigramophone
The record is not common in the UK either, and I was fortunate to acquire a mint copy for a reasonable price some years ago.

The original Lutyens design for the Cathedral would have made it the second largest church in the world. Construction began in 1933, but WW2 and rising costs forced it to stop in 1941. It was not until 1962 that construction of the present Cathedral began, incorporating the Lutyens crypt in it's structure.

Re: Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:37 pm
by melvind
Wow, wouldn't it have been something if the original cathedral had been finished? The new structure is very attractive, but nothing like the stately grandeur of the original building design. Thanks for adding info to the post.

Re: Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:25 pm
by epigramophone
melvind wrote:Wow, wouldn't it have been something if the original cathedral had been finished? The new structure is very attractive, but nothing like the stately grandeur of the original building design. Thanks for adding info to the post.
Here is an artist's impression of what the original design would have looked like :

Re: Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:40 pm
by Orchorsol
Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is another separate building. ;)

Edit, apologies, strike that!!! :oops: I was thinking of the other/other Liverpool Cathedral...

Re: Cathedral Commerative John McCormack record

Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:34 pm
by Curt A
The original design looks like a stately cathedral... the new one looks like a nuclear power plant... :roll: :lol: