Choir & Organ

Choir & Organ shines a global spotlight on two distinctive fields of creativity, celebrating inventiveness and excellence in all their forms. We aim to inspire our readers through giving a platform to conductors, organists, composers, and choirs of every kind; and showcasing the imaginative craft of pipe organ building across the centuries, critiquing new organs and tackling ethics in restoring historic instruments.

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Richard Houghten 1943 – 2021

Parisian inspiration • The Slovenian firm of Škrabl has built an organ in the French symphonic style for a Catholic church in London. Paul Hale finds immaculate voicing and tonal finishing in the results.

Simon Carrington • Choral conductor, clinician and consultant

Leeds united • Founded in 1858 to celebrate the opening of the town hall, Leeds Festival Chorus has a tradition of commissioning new works, including A Sea Symphony and Belshazzar’s Feast, and most recently a work by Jonathan Dove. Clare Stevens reports.

READERS’ OFFERS • Your chance to WIN CDs and sheet music and SAVE on DVDs

Fathers of the Victorians • Nicholas Thistlethwaite continues his study of formative contributors to the Victorian era in the fields of church music and organ building

Freestyle

Fifty not out • Yorkshire – dubbed ‘God’s own country’ by locals – has many claims to fame, among them world-class cricket, opulent castles and stately homes, three national parks, and the splendour of York Minster. To these and many other attributes was added, half a century ago, a small music publisher that has blossomed to be a major supplier of choral and organ music, especially championing home-grown talent. Stephen Pritchard reports.

FESTIVALS 2022 Guide to what’s on • FESTIVALS visit our online listings at www.choirandorgan.com

Marvellous and magical • America’s weekly radio programme Pipedreams is celebrating 40 years on the airwaves and has made its entire organ music archive freely available online. Its host Michael Barone shares some musical insights and tells Matthew Power how it all began

Precious things • Bernard Hughes tells David Wordsworth how he overcame his aversion to singing to end up composing a treasury of varied choral repertoire

Work in progress • Without the supply of high-quality parts, many organ builders would struggle to maintain their productivity. Paul Hale views the thriving output of P&S Organ Supply in Suffolk and delves into the history of component manufacturing.

The organ supply business: some historical context

A sense of terror • As choirs gear up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Ralph Vaughan Williams this year, Dona Nobis Pacem is sure to be on the programme. In 2016, in this article from our sister magazine Gramophone, Geraint Lewis explored the work’s eclectic recorded history

TRAVELLER’S JOY • Tom Bell samples culture across from the centuries in Thuringia’s medieval capital of Erfurt

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NEW DISCS COMING OUT IN… APRIL 2022

REVIEWS

EARLY MUSIC • Rebecca Tavener rounds up the latest releases

CHORAL SELECTION • A French-Canadian folk song, reworking Byrd, two anthems for...