The road to Olympus – the careers of four contrasting Victorian organists

By 1887 the College of Organists had already begun to make its mark - its membership increasing in relation to the great burst of church building that took place between 1850 and 1900.  Peter Horton compares the careers of four organists of this time - S S Wesley, Hopkins, Smart and Monk.  As he says 'All four viewed their roles differently. While the quixotic Wesley could be said to have played for the glory of God and himself, Hopkins played for the glory of God and the choir, Smart for the glory of God and the congregation, and Monk solely for the glory of God.'  Peter describes how each of them contributed to the realisation of Wesley's vision that cathedral organists should be the 'bishops of their calling', in this article originally published in the RCO Journal in 2014.

 

This content is available free of charge to College members. To find out more about joining RCO, please click here.

Non-members with an iRCO guest account can view this content with a one-off payment of £2.49. Please enter your details below to begin the secure payment process.

Pay with WorldPay

Your Contact Details

Card Holders Address