William Russell gained high regard both as a musician and a man, as his obituary of 1813 shows, but his music has since been relegated to inconsequentiality, with the exception of some of his Anglican chants and organ voluntaries.  Gillian Ward Russell examines William Russell's life and times, and discusses his organ music. Written at a time when music was moving from the Classical period into a new Romantic era, and when the English organ was about to develop into the 'orchestral' instrument of Victorian times, she suggests it sheds valuable light on the evolution of music and instruments in the early nineteenth century. This article originally appeared in the RCO Journal of 2013.

This content is available free of charge to College members.

To find out more about joining RCO, please click here.

Non-members with an iRCO guest account can view this content with a one-off payment of £2.49. Please enter your details below to begin the secure payment process.