The Historic Organ Sound Archive

This unique and ground-breaking project has taken place in East Anglia under the auspices of the British Institute of Organ Studies, aided by a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The sounds of some 40 of the area’s most historic organs are now available via the internet to the general public.

The aims have been to record music appropriate for the instrument in question, familiar to composers and players of the time, and to achieve as high a standard of recording as is possible, given the locations and the age and condition of some of the organs. Recordings are made by professional organists under the leadership of Anne Page (Musical Coordinator).

As part of the funding package, public educational events have been organised at many of the recording venues, as a means of demonstrating the worth of the instruments to the local community and stimulating the interest of young and old alike in this often neglected part of their heritage.

Recordings of music played on the organ of Adlington Hall in Cheshire have been added to the HOSA project in memory of Noel Mander who restored the organ in 1959.

An introduction to the Historic Organ Sound Archive

The Historic Organ Sound Archive (HOSA) aims to record music appropriate for the historic instrument in question, familiar to composers and players of the time of construction of the organ. The recordings achieve as high a standard of recording as possible, given the locations and the age and condition of some of the organs. Recordings are made by professional organists.

Information about the recordings

With 44 organs of historic interest and around 19 hours of recordings this project offers a major new resource for the study of English organs and their music. The organs were chosen from 80 instruments recommended by organists, organ builders and others who know the region. The choice of instruments is neither definitive nor exhaustive as many more could have been included, and there is certainly scope for the extension of the project within the eastern region and beyond. The recordings are a snapshot in sound taken on a particular day – some of the organs are not in good repair but of considerable musical interest, several of which are scheduled for restoration in the near future. The chosen selection results in a survey of organs built between c1750 to just before World War 1, including organs by leading builders of national renown and those whose activities were more local: Hart, Howard, Mack, Miller, Noble and Street. An index to the builders is provided. These organs have for the first time been drawn together via a single access point and the information contained in the recordings can be used in various ways, for example:

• comparing work by different builders working at the same time or in some cases comparing organs from the same workshop.
• tracing some of the radical developments which took place during this period, during which the long-compass organ of the Georgian era was transformed by the impact of continental and other influences which shaped the Victorian instrument – changes which resulted in the type of organ still familiar today.
• using the music recorded as a guide to suitable repertoire for organs of similar style and date.
• taking a virtual tour of the historic organs of East Anglia.

The changes of compass, stop type and sound ideal which occurred over this period were paralleled by the growing importance of the Swell and Pedal divisions through the middle decades of the 19th century. An index has been provided to the number of divisions and their note range to facilitate the study of this development. A particularly interesting type of organ which contains in microcosm many of the effects developed in larger instruments is the single-manual organ with long compass, shifting movement and at least some enclosure of stops: Boxworth, Gooderstone, Thornage, Thurrock and Wymondham are good examples. The range of effects they offer is considerable, including instant changes of registration and dynamic variety under the immediate control of the player.

One of the project’s main objectives is to demonstrate the interdependence of instrument and music. Each player devised programmes which show how the instruments might have been used around the time they were built, displaying their tonal qualities and typical features in appropriate music of the period. An index to the music has been provided. In most cases short notes and registrations are provided with each piece. Unfamiliar works by well-known composers can be found, for example John Stanley’s Concertos Op.2 set for keyboard. Composers with connections to the region are represented, including Beckwith, Burney, Chipp, Crotch and Hook. Pieces by Jonas Blewitt and John Marsh, both important sources for information on late 18th century performance practice, are included.

The project can be used for research by players, historians and organ builders and it is very much hoped that it will promote dialogue between these disciplines.

Participants in the HOSA project

• Project Leader: José Hopkins.
• NPOR Director: Michael Sayers.
• Sound Engineers: Peter Harrison, Gareth Stuart.
• Players: Andrew Hayden, Daniel Hyde, Paul Joslin, Jonathan Lilley, Anne Page (Musical Coordinator), David Ponsford, Malcolm Russell.
• Events organiser: Jeremy Sampson.

Acknowledgements

BIOS is most grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund (Eastern Region) for financial support for this project.

Thanks are due to the staff at the British Library and the Cambridge University Library, the late Robin Langley of the Royal College of Organists Library and the owners of private collections for access to scores; to churchwardens, incumbents and others who provided access to the churches and hospitality; to organists, organ builders and others who advised on the selection of instruments.

Anne Page and José Hopkins
January 2007