Blow, John: Sixteen Organ Pieces

Selected from Musica Britannica Volume 69. Edited by Barry Cooper.

This collection of sixteen pieces by John Blow (1649-1708), taken from the complete organ music published in Volume 69 of Musica Britannica, is an authoritative introduction to the work of the leading Restoration English composer of organ music. More organ music from this period is ascribed to Blow than to all his English contemporaries put together, including Henry Purcell. In compiling this anthology, the editor has incorporated both the best examples from the corpus, and those that were most popular in the composer’s lifetime, while illustrating the variety of styles he used. Most of the pieces may be played on a single manual, but there are also ‘double voluntaries’ (for two manuals) and ‘cornet voluntaries’ (for two or three manuals). The collection includes advice on ornamentation and a comprehensive editorial note.