Playing GREAT ENGLISH MUSIC at a Little Village Church

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When I think that all that makes who we are is slipping away, and these priceless country churches are under threat of becoming ghosts of the past, You Tube brings this wonderful young man to my attention. Reading one of my favourite authors and then playing a perfect melody, befitting the church and its setting. Thank you - all is not lost.

I am 89years old and regret how the English way of life of yesteryear has been changed beyond recognition. I was taught has a child about the New Testament of God sending his son Jesus Christ to be our saviour, at Sunday School, when we were old enough to understand the meaning of being a Christian. Thank you for doing a vlog that cheers me up by showing that some parts of England still worship the Christian faith. Have read the books of Thomas Hardy who showed how England was even at that time was changing through England's industries being more dominant than the rural way of life.

When I see young people as yourself enthusiastically embracing the love of beautiful ancient churches and playing beautiful old hymns , I have hope that all is well with the world. God blessed you with wonderful talents and you do not hide them under a bushel but use them as a guiding light .

I was very moved by your visit to St Andrew’s. The guidebook from which you read was written by my uncle. On the day you posted your video, the funeral of his widow was held in the church, where she had worshipped for over 50 years. For around 30 of those, I played the organ for the annual carol service, so the Bevington is an old friend! Watching you discover this holy place reminded me of the lines from T S Eliot’s Little Gidding: ‘We shall not cease from exploration / And the end of all our exploring / Will be to arrive where we started / And know the place for the first time.’ Thank you.

Ben is a jewel -- thank God someone still has his gifts and is willing to share them with the world.

'Completely and utterly alone'--except for the voices and tones of a thousand singers and organists who have been in that space over the centuries. And alone save for the source of all music and beauty who I'm sure is with us at all times. Thanks for bringing us to this beautiful place.

My life has been in Church and Church music, I weep when I see what is happening to our land and our Christian heritage. Thank you for your music and passion for our Churches.

You can't get any more English than this. Wonderful.

Another beautiful contribution from Mr Maton. I very much like the way he opens church doors, always one of the best moments of such visits. Autumn brings out the best in English churchyards.

How beautiful. I Vow to thee my Country was played at my dearest dad’s funeral. He was a decorated wartime pilot.

Thank you for reading Thomas Hardy in such a fitting setting. Really brought his words alive. If you have not done so already, here is another poem to read out in a village church setting. 'Charles' by Leonard Clark He was born blind with the snow on a winter's day; The moon blank as marble stared at him from the full, But his mother wept to see the vacant rolling of his eyes; His father dared not look and despairingly turned away When hands like feelers fumbled in space to pull Fingers and lips to upturned face to recognize. Growing older he sat in the dark learning voices by heart, Carried on conversations with birds singing in summer trees, Heard brooks changing their sound at flood time, the angled dart Of dazzled bats diving through twilight air. But music played by wandering band or organ at the fair Moved him to tears and fingers to invisible keys So that at twenty-five he began to drown the village church With ceaseless tides of Handel, Bach and Mendelssohn, And magnified the Lord for seven-and-thirty years, With egg-shaped head he sat upright upon his perch Praying on flute we might depart in peace Triumphant came from Egypt on the bombardon, Made thunderstorms at will, stars race like charioteers, Captivity to turn, the harvest to increase; He brought sweet healing to the troubled mind, Fearlessly opened the eyes of the blind.

Your videos are intelligent, well-produced, informative and entertaining. Your passion for the subject matter is palpable and I thank you for sharing it here.

I've just discovered Ben Maton. Thank you ever so much for the gentleness and care you show in visiting these beautiful churches and playing wonderful music. Thank you.

This is uncanny. I was speaking earlier to a friend and said that, although I’m happy living in Essex where I have been for forty-four years after leaving Salisbury when I was nineteen, Wiltshire still feels like home especially when I visit family. A couple of hours later YouTube recommends this, which is very different from my usual viewing habits. I recognize the A354 to Coombe Bissett, the countryside and the Wiltshire accent I used to have. Ben also went to the same school as me and drives the same car. It’s good to see someone so young who is passionate about his country, it’s history and music.

What a gorgeous gem of a church and a very satisfying organ -- I love I Vow to Thee, My Country even though I am American. It nearly brings me to tears. It hearkens me back to the friendship between America and the UK during WW2 and the sacrifices so many made on both sides of the "pond" for freedom and democracy. It's been used in many films as background to great British deeds.

That last bit hit me. O God Beyond All Praising is my favorite hymn. You played it beautifully. I am not an organist, but rather a Seminarian in the Episcopal Church. One saying which I have always held to is "When you sing, you pray twice." God has blessed you with a wonderful vocation. Please continue to share it with the world.

That was beautiful. A wonderful bit of calm in an increasingly mad world. Thanks so much Ben.

Our collective English church history is so wonderfully rich! Cheers from an Anglican in Canada.

This video is enchanting. When I was at school my English master said I read too much Hardy and that it would give me a twilight view on life. In Ben's eyes the twilight lingers on at Rockbourne.