There are over 150 surviving In Nomines: a plainchant used by some fifty-eight composers from Taverner to Purcell as a basis for keyboard and consort music. Jane Flynn investigates this fascinating compositional phenomenon and explores the interwoven theological and political context in which the In Nomine flourished.

As of last week, organists within the Church of England were allowed access to church buildings again, for organ practice, under new government guidance.  So we hope it’s not too optimistic to focus this week on pedalling technique, for organists who may be moving back to a pedalboard for the first time in many months; with advice on how to start playing again, and pedals-only music.

The 2019 edition of the College’s annual research publication, The Journal of the Royal College of Organists, can be downloaded here as a complete edition.

In a set of three webinars Frederick Stocken looks at the Bach Chorale question of the ARCO examination written paper, which requires the completion of the harmony to a given chorale melody, in the style of J S Bach.

Darius Battiwalla shows how improvising music for the movies differs from improvising during a church service, and suggests ways to develop the skills, and stamina, required.

Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick discusses how theories of aesthetics and performance practices from the last four hundred years can help organists breathe expressive life into their playing.

William Reynolds’s thought-provoking, well-documented introduction to early organs and their use in Wales and the Welsh borders is a major contribution to national organ history, opening up a range of organological and musical perspectives about local practices.

This week’s Learning during Lockdown introduces new films on iRCO, which, coupled with recordings of recent webinars, form an introduction to practical harmony for the beginner, and a course in keyboard harmony and the structure of Bach chorales for RCO examination students.  During lockdown many organists have been taking to keyboard instruments other than the organ: we explore the results, and the music they’ve chosen to play.

Tom Bell explains how organ builders exploit the archetypal organ pipe, the Diapason.