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| Organists' Review | |
|---|---|
| Title | Organists' Review |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Founded | 1916 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Based | London |
| Language | English |
Organists' Review is a quarterly magazine devoted to pipe organ performance, organ building, and liturgical music practice. Established in the early 20th century, it has functioned as a forum connecting professional organists, builders, scholars, and choral directors across ecclesiastical and concert spheres. Contributors have included performers associated with institutions such as St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Winchester Cathedral, and conservatoires like the Royal College of Music and Royal Academy of Music.
Founded amidst developments in British church music and organ construction, the magazine appeared as part of a broader revival that involved figures connected to Oxford University, Cambridge University, King's College, Cambridge, and the revivalist movements linked to Edwardian era liturgical renewal. Early issues reflected debates involving organ builders from firms such as Henry Willis & Sons and Harrison & Harrison, and discussed repertoire championed by composers attached to cathedrals like Herbert Howells at St John's College, Cambridge and Charles Villiers Stanford at Trinity College, Dublin. The periodicals' formative decades coincided with events that shaped British musical life, including the aftermath of World War I and the interwar choral renaissance influenced by performers and conductors connected to Sir John Stainer and Sir Charles Mackerras.
Through mid-century, editors responded to innovations associated with continental movements exemplified by organists and builders from Germany, France, and the Netherlands, referencing figures such as Olivier Messiaen, Marcel Dupré, and Albert Schweitzer in discussions of modernism and historicism. Post-World War II issues engaged with restoration projects at venues like York Minster, debates over historic preservation akin to those surrounding Gothic Revival architecture, and the professionalization of organ studies tied to institutions including the Royal Northern College of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
The magazine's editorial profile balances technical writing on organ mechanics and voicing with performance practice, repertoire surveys, and liturgical programming. Technical articles have treated organ-building topics involving firms such as Mander Organs and concepts developed by organologists associated with museums like the Victoria and Albert Museum and collections at The British Museum. Performance-oriented features examine interpretations by organists active at venues such as Christ Church, Oxford, St Martin-in-the-Fields, Covent Garden, and concert halls like Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Centre.
Its pages regularly present reviews of new scores and recordings tied to labels and ensembles connected with BBC Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, and choirs such as The Sixteen and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. The magazine also covers competitions and events, including coverage of the St Albans International Organ Festival and pedagogical trends reflected in syllabi from examination boards like Royal School of Church Music and associations including the Royal College of Organists.
Contributors have ranged from cathedral organists and conservatoire professors to scholars researching historical instruments associated with builders such as Arp Schnitger and Cavaillé-Coll. Notable contributors include performers and writers connected to Nicholas Danby, Simon Preston, David Sanger, Gordon Murray, and academics affiliated with University of Birmingham and Goldsmiths, University of London. Articles have explored repertory by composers tied to the organ tradition—J. S. Bach, Dietrich Buxtehude, Johannes Brahms, César Franck, Max Reger, Louis Vierne—and modern voices such as Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Duruflé, Edwin Lemare, and Jehan Alain.
Seminal essays addressed topics like historic temperaments linked to scholars associated with Royal Holloway, University of London and restoration case studies of instruments once maintained by companies like Rudolph von Beckerath and Walcker. Interviews have featured figures connected to international scenes including Helmut Walcha, Marie-Claire Alain, Ton Koopman, and organists active in cathedral systems like Notre-Dame de Paris and Cologne Cathedral.
Published quarterly and produced from offices in London with distribution networks reaching the United Kingdom, North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, the magazine has circulated through specialist retailers, subscription lists, and membership mailings tied to organizations such as the Royal College of Organists and the Organists' Benevolent League. Back issues have been exchanged among libraries and archives at institutions including Bodleian Library, British Library, Library of Congress, and university music departments at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge.
Print editions have been complemented by conference proceedings linked to events such as the International Congress of Organists and exhibition catalogues for restorations presented at venues like St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
Scholars, performers, and builders have cited the magazine in discussions about restoration ethics, performance practice, and repertoire revival, alongside journals and institutions such as Early Music Journal, The Musical Times, and university presses at Cambridge University Press and Oxford University Press. Reviews in national newspapers and specialist press compared its editorial stance with resources from Gramophone and periodicals associated with BBC Music Magazine.
Its impact is evident in shaping programming at festivals including the Three Choirs Festival, influencing commissioning of new works from composers connected to cathedral music traditions such as Philip Moore, John Rutter, and William Lloyd Webber, and informing training at conservatoires and cathedral schools tied to St Paul's Cathedral School.
The magazine's legacy is preserved in institutional archives at conservatoires and national collections, with bound volumes consulted by researchers at Royal College of Music Museum and the National Archives (UK). Its documentation of organ-building projects and performance trends provides source material for studies in musicology at universities such as University of Manchester and University of Leeds, and for curators at historic sites like St George's Chapel and preservation bodies involved with listed churches across England.
Ongoing digitization efforts mirror initiatives undertaken by libraries like Bodleian Libraries and agencies associated with heritage digitization, ensuring access for scholars linked to programs at King's College London and international researchers in organology and sacred music.
Category:Music magazines published in the United Kingdom