The appearance of numerous organ books after Nivers’s extensive 1665 Livre d’orgue was an extraordinary phenomenon, and Jon Baxendale scrutinises this by looking closely at the composer-and-engraver relationships, and the methods and business concerns of the engravers. A rich music-industrial terrain is mapped out, not least in terms of legalities. The supporting notes and comprehensive concluding table consolidate this study as an important reference work.

Max Reger’s Twelve Pieces’ are some of his more accessible works for the organist. Martin Schmeding has edited a new Urtext edition, which includes an extensive essay on the performance of Reger’s organ works.

A new volume from The Orgelbuchlein Project, a 21st-century completion of Bach’s Little Organ Book, has just been published, with a special offer on the price until the end of November 2024.

Richard Brasier investigates the sources that are known to have survived of Franck’s Trois Chorals, comparing sketches, engravers’ copies, and fair copies to reveal a wealth of interpretative details.  This article has benefitted from the comprehensive work the author has done to produce a complete edition of Franck’s organ works for Lyrebird Music in recent years.

The recent centenary of Stefans Grové’s birth has been a catalyst for Herman Jordaan to investigate Grové’s monumental Afrika Hymnus, where the compositional materials, timbres and resonances, often removed from organ conventions, are stimulating and rewarding for the player and listener alike.  The author puts the music in the context of the environment and cultures of his native South Africa, and has prepared recorded music examples to accompany the article.

To mark the 2023 Reger anniversary year, Peters Edition have published a new Urtext edition of his seven chorale fantasias, edited by Martin Schmeding, to reflect the current state of research into Reger’s music and modern performance practice. 

Director of Oundle for Organists, Ann Elise Smoot, explains how the Organ Voluntary developed as a new form of organ music, in the context of the new liturgy of the Protestant Reformation in sixteenth-century England.

RCO Chief Examiner, Stephen Farr, discusses the significance of Urtext Editions for the practical performer, and comments on the issues surrounding them.

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.