Articles - The Organ

Opening a door into the world of contemporary organ music
Martin Stacey introduces the Annual Festival of New Organ Music and explains its purpose in today's musical climate. Read the article
The Pipe Organs of Stockholm
This was a series of four articles in issues issues 331, 332, 334 and 336 of The Organ, from February 2005 to May 2006. To accompany it are several web articles including unpublished pictures and sound examples, which have their own index here.
Bratislava Castle Organ Concerts 2004
This varied series of concerts was briefly described in issue 330 of The Organ. You can read the full article here.
An organ for the Sultan
Thomas Dallam was commissioned by the diplomatic service of Queen Elizabeth to build an organ for the Sultan of Turkey. With a player mechanism and clock, this was an extraordinary organ for an extraordinary customer. Dallam's journey was no less unusual, and despite the loss of all other records relating to this organ, Jack Warren's description based on Dallam's journal vividly brings the events of four centuries ago back to life. "at the top of the organ, 16 feet up, appeared a holly bush with blackbirds and thrushes which sang and flapped their wings at the end of the music" Read the article.
Toulouse les Orgues 2003
This festival of organs was described in issue 326 of The Organ, but space constraints prevented all the articles and photographs appearing in the magazine. We have two articles for you to enjoy:
- Brian Hick in conversation with Jan Willem Jansen and Jean Baptiste Dupont. "the Festival must be a celebration, a party which we hope will lead people to a more serious enjoyment or understanding of the organ"
- Toulouse part two - an expanded version of Raymond Spong's review of many later festival concerts. "Can you wonder that I am already looking forward to next year?"
Pictured is the pipework from the 1981 Ahrend organ in the Musée des Augustins described in the magazine.
Martin Anderson asked Marie-Claire Alain why she had just finished her third complete recording of the organ music of J. S. Bach. "It's because of the instruments, the instruments above everything else, and the fine state to which they have been restored -- and the fact that they are now accessible. These recordings uses instruments from Bach's time, and we know that Bach even played some of them -- it's an extraordinary feeling, to put your hands on the keyboard, knowing that he was there 250 years before you!" Read the article
Discover a Laycock and Bannister organ to accompany Bryan Hughes' 2002 book published by Musical Opinion. This is one of their organs Bryan wasn't able to fit in the book. Read the article.