By 1887 the College of Organists had already begun to make its mark – its membership increasing in relation to the great burst of church building that took place between 1850 and 1900.  Peter Horton compares the careers of four organists of this time – S S Wesley, Hopkins, Smart and Monk.  As he says […]

In this paper, originally given at the conference to mark the RCO’s 150th Anniversary, and subsequently printed in the RCO Journal for 2014, David Wright discusses how the RCO played an important part in the move to ‘professionalize’ music in Victorian Britain, and give musicians and their activities a new status that was both respectable […]

In this article Rosemary Golding examines the professional status and remuneration of the organist in the run-up to the foundation of the College of Organists in 1864, by examining contemporary advertisements and correspondence in The Musical Times and similar publications.  It originally appeared in The RCO Journal in 2014. RCO Journal 2014_Golding  

This essay on the centenary of Murrill’s birth gives a brief outline of Murrill’s career and achievements and, given the context of the journal of a college of organists, concentrates on his church and organ music. Written by Relf Clark, it first appeared in the RCO Journal of 2009. RCO Journal 2009_Clark    

Of the most influential musical figures of Victorian Britain, John Stainer must be considered a seminal personality who shaped the course of the nation’s history and progress. Though nowadays neglected as a composer, his influence as a church musician in the formation of the ‘reformed’ cathedral choir was immense and far-reaching. His work in education […]