Norwich guy plays a rare organ, realising a lifetime dream.
One of England’s four unique church organs, which is a lifelong goal for a guy from Norwich, has now been played.
After spending 73 years tickling the ivories in churches around the nation, Barry Holdstock, 80, of Lingwood, had just one item on his bucket list when he was told he had vascular dementia: to play a five-manual church organ.
Despite having Aphasia, which hinders communication, Mr. Holdstock continues to play regularly despite having had a stroke in 2017.
At the age of seven, he started playing the piano. At the age of 16, his virtuoso father introduced him to the organ.
Since then, Mr. Holdstock has played the three- and four-manual organs in churches in Southampton, London, and Norfolk, but he has never performed the five-manual organ.
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The difficulty of playing an organ is indicated by the number of manuals it contains, with five being the most challenging.
Marlene Holdstock, Mr. Holdstock’s wife, reached out to Wakefield Cathedral in Yorkshire, which is home to one of the rare organs, in an effort to fulfil her husband’s wish.
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I’ve always wanted to do that, but they are so difficult to find; there are many in theatres and other public places, but only four in churches.
We’ve always liked Yorkshire, so we took a vacation and went to the cathedral, where the man in Wakefield had everything switched on and ready to go.
“They let me play it for a very long time; it was really enjoyable.
“I loved it, we felt so welcomed, I’m over the moon,” one person said.
Mr Holdstock currently serves as the Reedham Church’s deputy organist and frequently performs on a three-manual instrument.
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