Nicholas Thistlethwaite provides a fascinating window into the musical controversies of the early 1860s, around the time when the College of Organists was founded.  He notes  a climate in which correspondents and editors of musical publications had a freedom of expression which today appears remarkable.  Protected by anonymity, the personal animosities of the Victorian musical world are vividly revealed.   This article originally appeared in the RCO Journal of 2014.

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