The Genius of Cavaille-Coll
A film by Fugue State Films exploring the life of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, the greatest organ builder of the 19th century and also probably the most famous of all organ builders. Creator of such instruments as those in St Sulpice, Paris, and St Ouen, Rouen, he devised a new way of building organs that led directly to the development of the French Romantic school of organ composition.
Alkmaar: Organs of the Laurenskerk
This documentary by Fugue State Films charts the development of organ-building in the Netherlands through the 500-year organ history of the Laurenskerk in Alkmaar, a church that includes both an organ from 1511 by Jan van Covelens as well as the world-famous 1646 van Hagerbeer instrument, updated in 1723 by Frans Caspar Schnitger.
Building an organ in nineteenth-century France
Drew Cantrill-Fenwick traces the processes whereby an organ was build for La Madeleine, Paris, by an increasingly influential Aristide Cavaille-Coll. His archival research allows us to see, stage by stage, the construction history of this much-lauded instrument. The project was a multi-disciplinary affaire in which the influence of the artisan was replaced by that of the scholar, the administrator, and the politician.
Organs, liturgy, and spaces at Lincoln Cathedral before 1702
Magnus Williamson recounts the archival and archeological detective work that has taken place at Lincoln Cathedral, in conjunction with the Byrd quatercentenary. By bringing the building in line with post-Restoration practice in 1702, the Dean and Chapter also ended a spatial arrangement which had once generated the rich pre-Reformation tradtions of organs and voices in ‘alternatim’. The characteristics of the building, and their musical implications, are probed in detail.
Schoolchildren build an organ in Wolverhampton
Ewan Murray is in his final year of organ studies at The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, and recently organised and ran an organ outreach event for local schoolchildren, who enthusiastically engaged in organ-building, organ-playing, composing and singing over two days in St Peter’s Collegiate Church in Wolverhampton.
From Renaissance to Expressionist – the RCO’s study trip to Denmark
The music of the Northern European school explored on the instruments of its time, on a study trip to Denmark organised by the RCO.
Are you sitting comfortably? – the Adjustable Benches Campaign
Organists come in all shapes and sizes, and a recent survey has highlighted the problems many face in playing their instrument comfortably. A new campaign aims to address this, with practical solutions to ensure equal access and confidence for all.
The Learning During Lockdown series
A full listing, with links, of the Learning during Lockdown series, which ran as a series of 16 bulletins throughout 2020.
The Tudor Organ – a film by Magnus Williamson
Magnus Williamson, Professor of Early Music at Newcastle University, presents a film on Tudor organs and organ music, featuring the Wetheringsett organ built in 2002 by Goezte & Gwynn.