Francis O’Gorman was a master at examining the organ from various cultural perspectives. Earlier articles for the RCO looked at the organ as it is portrayed in nineteenth-century literature, on which Francis was a world-leading expert. In this, one of his last articles, Francis takes us on a personal, generously shared journey which probes the meanings that destroyed (and revived) organs can hold.

Sadly, Francis died in 2024. The RCO Journal, volume 17, 2024, in which this article first appeared, is dedicated to his memory.

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