St Magnus Bells (MS1)

The St Magnus Cathedral lies at the heart of Kirkwall, Orkney’s capital city and was founded in 1137 by the Viking, Earl Rognvald, in honour of his uncle St Magnus who was martyred here in Orkney. This recording was made on 13th May 1962 from within the Cathedral belltower by Alex S. Wylie as part of a correspondence tape to John Junner. The distinctive bell sound is recognisble to all Orcadians and visitors to the County and is a prominent feature of the soundscape of Orkney. Like many Orcadian musicians, I’ve been given countless opportunities to perform there from a young age. Despite my familiarity with the Cathedral, it belongs to the people of Orkney, I’m always in awe of it’s majesty and the poeple who built it. COPYRIGHT CONTROL Thank you to the National Library of Scotland, St Magnus Cathedral and Alex Wylie for the permission to use this recording. All rights of the producer and of the owner of the work reproduced reserved. Unauthorised copying, hiring, lending, public performance and broadcasting of this recording prohibited.