BIOS

Organ by Auguste Gern at St Mary's, Birchanger, Essex

A short history of BIOS

In 1975, no detailed archival history of the organ in the British Isles was available, and very little work had been done to document the construction of the English organ, with only occasional attention devoted to the music and use of the instrument in Britain. A meeting in Cambridge including Bernard Edmonds, Michael Gillingham, Nicholas Plumley, Michael Sayer and Nicholas Thistlethwaite, created the foundation committee which, in 1976, formed the British Institute of Organ Studies. They defined the aims which, although subsequently refined, continue in essence to this day and appear elsewhere on this website. From the outset there were to be three objectives: publishing the annual Journal, publishing the quarterly Reporter, and creating the English Organ Archive, later renamed, and housed at the University of Keele. The archive included papers from Jardine & Co., Wadsworth & Co., William Hill & Son, Norman & Beard, Hill, Norman & Beard, Gray & Davison, Bevington & Sons, and the Hope-Jones Electric Organ Co.

The British Institute of Organ Studies (BIOS) is now a UK registered charity, governed by a Council which is elected at the Annual General Meeting. Membership is open to anyone interested in the study and appreciation of all aspects of the pipe organ. BIOS acts as a lobbying body to raise awareness of organ issues with relevant bodies. All officer roles are held in an honorary (voluntary) capacity.

Half a century on, BIOS continues today with Nicholas Thistlethwaite as President and William McVicker as Chair. There have been many important achievements, which include resources found on this website. Recent initiatives have seen activities expand from guidance pamphlets into publishing of high-quality books, valued for both academic rigour but also readability.

The Council has subcommittees dealing with Publications and the Historic Organ Listing Scheme (HOLS). Council also has members participating in Joint Committees with the University of Birmingham (for the British Organ Archive) and with The Royal College of Organists (for the National Pipe Organ Register).

  • Previous chairmen
  • Michael Gillingham MA LLB FSA
  • Donald Wright BSc PhD
  • Peter le Huray MA MusB PhD
  • Canon Nicholas Thistlethwaite MA PhD
  • Professor Peter Williams MA MusB PhD LittD HonFRCO HonFRSA
  • John Norman BSc FISOB HonFIMIT
  • Alan Thurlow BA DMus FRCO(CHM)

Charitable Giving
Individuals who (or organisations which) support the aims and activities of BIOS are welcome to contact Hon. Treasurer to discuss opportunities, such as a donation of any kind, the award of a grant, a single or regular payment, or a bequest in a Will. Card donations for the NPOR can be made here.

Data privacy and General Data protection Regulation (GDPR)
The BIOS GDPR statement can be viewed here.

Publications
BIOS publishes a quarterly Reporter newsletter, and copies of some back issues are available one line. A yearly Journal is also published and copies of previous editions can be purchased. BIOS members also have free online access to all volumes from the first in 1977.

Both the Reporter and Journal contain articles on organ history, the Journal attracts mature studies, the Reporter offers a place for exposure of interim or conjectural work.

BIOS has published numerous books, details of which are in this area.

National Pipe Organ Register
BIOS is also responsible for the National Pipe Organ Register, which aims to catalogue all British pipe organs in a database, which is available for searching free of charge.

History of the NPOR
The National Pipe Organ Register was begun by Peter le Huray and Mike Sayers in 1991. It was supported from 1992 to 1997 by the British Academy and by the British Institute of Organ Studies. Support for 1998 and 1999 was provided by the Pilgrim Trust. For many years, it resided on a computer system in the University of Cambridge provided by the Thriplow Charitable Trust. In 2009, it was transferred to the IT Department of the Royal College of Music in London, but returned to Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 2013. In recent years it has operated on technology belonging to the Royal College of Organists and editing continues by a team of volunteers, managed by Andrew Macintosh of the RCO.

The project is guided by members of the BIOS Council.

Historic Sound Archive HOSA
Details of the HOSA material can be found here.

British Organ Archive
The British Organ Archive, accumulated by BIOS, is held at the Cadbury Research Library, University of Birmingham.

Historic Organ Certificates
BIOS issues Historic Organ Certificates as follows:

  • Grade I for organs of outstanding historic and musical importance in essentially original condition.
  • Grade II* for organs which are good representatives of the work of their builder, in substantially original condition.
  • Grade II for organs which, whilst not unaltered, nevertheless contain important historic material.
  • A Certificate of Recognition identifies the presence of by individual elements of important historic material in an organ.