Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick demonstrates how the organ and organ music developed in post-Revolutionary France, on the organ of Hexham Abbey.

The French Revolution was both destructive and creative, and the story of the organ during the revolutionary decade was one of continuity and of change. Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick discusses a time when organ culture was in thrall to political forces, in this article from the RCO Journal of 2020/2021.

Tom Bell presents a video diary of his preparations for a performance of Messiaen’s Livre du Saint Sacrement. 

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.

Anne Page gives an introduction to Messiaen’s musical language and religious beliefs, illustrated with excerpts from a live performance.

Current guidance from the Church of England allows for the organ to be played for communal church services, which recommenced earlier this month.  However there can be no group singing or chanting while worshippers are present, though a single singer or cantor is permissible.  This month’s Learning during Lockdown explores options for suitable organ music when the staples of the organist’s repertoire—hymns, mass settings, and choral accompaniment— are excluded.

To mark the 150th anniversary of Louis Vierne’s birth, Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick presents a film on his life and legacy. 

The recent Couperin anniversary (2018) and the appearance of a new edition of Couperin’s Pièces d’orgue from the Stavanger-based Cantando Press was an opportune moment for David Ponsford to reflect not only on the edition, but also on the state of Couperin organ studies at this time.

This October marks the 150th anniversary of Louis Vierne’s birth, and here on iRCO we celebrate the anniversary with a new film presented by Andrew Cantrill-Fenwick discussing Vierne’s life and legacy, and point to other resources on the composer.