Meantone, Werckmeister, and ‘the wolf’: Cathy Lamb compares temperament systems and explains how they came about. 

Gerard Brooks gives a brief survey of the organ works of Camille Saint-Saens, and describes what made him different from other organist-composers of his time.

There are of course differences between individual grand pianos, and cellos, and flutes, but of all musicians, organists have to be the most prepared to adapt, often at short notice, to enormous variation in the size, shape and scope of their instrument. This month’s Learning during Lockdown focusses on the instrument and its builders, and how all this variety came about.

THE ENGLISH ORGAN is a series of films and recordings made by Fugue State Films, telling the story of the English organ and its music, over five hundred years.  In these three final films Daniel Moult takes the discussion from the nineteenth into the twentieth century, with performances of Stanford, Whitlock, and Patrick Gowers on historic organs.

THE ENGLISH ORGAN is a series of films and recordings made by Fugue State Films, telling the story of the English organ and its music. In these three films, Daniel Moult looks at the beginnings of English organ building, playing Byrd, Purcell and Handel on three historic organs.

In a series of special films Daniel Moult discusses the history of organ-building in England, and demonstrates the diversity of organ types, with appropriate music.  This first film takes an overview of the development of the English organ, from Tudor beginnings to the present day.

In two webinars Frederick Stocken looks at the fugue question for the FRCO written examination. These classes are directly relevant for students working towards FRCO, as well as being of general interest to students of harmony at this level.

In Q is for Quiet, Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick discusses the use of silence in music, and how composers from Monteverdi and Bruns to Franck and Messiaen have used space within music to give meaning.

Sir Andrew Parmley, Chief Executive of the RCO, describes how Richard Limpus’ vision in 1860 of a college to raise the professional standing of the organist has been fulfilled today, in ways that he never could have imagined.