Judith Bingham’s contribution to the solo organ repertoire spans some forty years, and organ writing has been a constant feature of Bingham’s compositional activity. This survey from Stephen Farr examines this important oeuvre from several performance related perspectives.

A dairy door in a 17th-century house in Wetheringsett, Suffolk, and a piece of decaying timber found behind old pews and lumber in the churchyard shed at Wingfield, Suffolk, have transformed our knowledge and understanding of the pre-Reformation English organ.

This article and free download includes detailed descriptions and specifications of the Wetheringsett and Wingfield Organs, along with a look at the culture of the English church before the Reformation, including the use of the organ and its music within the liturgy.

The RCO’s Library contains many examples of printed music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and a series of digitised editions has been launched to highlight this area of the collection, in order to bring to light often rare material that is not readily available in either printed or electronic formats. This includes the Six Cornet Pieces by the renowned Dr Charles Burney (1726–1814).

The RCO’s Library contains many examples of printed music from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and a series of digitised editions has been launched to highlight this area of the collection: this includes the Six Cornet Pieces by the renowned Dr Charles Burney (1726–1814).

Little is known of Theophania Cecil’s musical life and career, but her Twelve Voluntaries are stylistically very much of their time, with their suggested publication date of 1810. 

Written and presented by Daniel Moult, these are the first in a series of videos introduces the main stylistic areas of five significant organ schools, with discussion of the more contentious & lesser known aspects of these periods.

Here, an introduction to the series is followed by a discussion of the playing style for the early English School, from Byrd to Purcell.

The copy used for this digital edition comes from the RCO Library, and is part of the RCO’s on-going project to digitise and publish online its collection of rare eighteenth and early nineteenth century music. You can read more on the edition used, and also a little more on Theophania Cecil’s life and music, below, in an article by Andrew McCrea and RCO Librarian Frances Pond.

Graham Barber makes an appraisal of the origins and characteristics of Henry Smart’s (1812-79) compositional style, and identifies his most compelling works, in this article from the RCO Journal of 2013. It includes an annotated catalogue of Smart’s organ output, from the generally difficult concert pieces to easier works designed for divine service or pedagogic […]

William Russell gained high regard both as a musician and a man, as his obituary of 1813 shows, but his music has since been relegated to inconsequentiality, with the exception of some of his Anglican chants and organ voluntaries.  Gillian Ward Russell examines William Russell’s life and times, and discusses his organ music. Written at […]