Biographies & Autobiographies

For a period of over fifty years, one of America’s most influential transitional figures in pipe organ tonal design preached the gospel of organ reform to whomever would listen. His novel ideas were received with alacrity throughout most of the organ design and organ playing community of mid-twentieth century America. Assembled here for the first time are selected correspondence, essays, and lectures of Lawrence I. Phelps—all in chronological order, in which the reader observes first-hand the development of a tonal philosophy that would dominate conventional design and tonal techniques of pipe organs for decades into the future. New, fall 2025

Organ Historical Society

Lawrence Phelps, Organbuilder - In His Own Words, edited and annotated by Bynum Petty

$44.95

In this most welcome first biography of Pierre Cochereau, Anthony Hammond gives us just what one would hope for: a detailed account of Cochereau's life, a thorough look at the influences that shaped his work, a valuable assessment of his craft as an interpreter, and new understanding of his art as an improviser. --Lawrence Archbold, Carleton College "A model of scholarly research, Pierre Cochereau's legendary career is extensively recounted and the influence forming his mature style as an improviser and composer expertly documented. The post-1955 history of the Notre-Dame organ is by far the most accurate account in print today."--Jesse Eschbach, University of North Texas

Pierre Cochereau: Organist of Notre-Dame - by Dr. Anthony W. Hammond

$149.95

Anton Heiller: Organist, Composer, Conductor, provides an assessment of Heiller's works and teaching, while also examining his complex personality, one torn between strong religious devotion and the world of artistry. The narrative also offers a unique view of the organ world in the decades after World War II, featuring the important organs, builders, and organists across North America and Europe. First translation, by Christa Rumsey of this important text in English. University of Rochester (2014); 364 pgs.

Anton Heiller; Organist, Composer, Conductor - by Peter Planyavsky

$129.95

M.P. Möller was the largest organ company in the world and built more pipe organs than any other organ builder in history. Documenting such an enterprise is a formidable task that has been admirably achieved by Bynum Petty, the OHS’s former archivist. This revised and enlarged second edition of his original study of the company, An Organ a Day, traces its beginning in 1854 to its eventual sale in January,1993. A wealth of archival photographs illustrates every facet of the company, including its most important instruments. Many detailed stoplists of the largest organs, a transcript of M.P. Möller’s 1921 diary, and a complete catalogue of Möller Artiste player organ rolls are included. The last of 24 appendixes is a complete Geographical Index of the company’s 11,850 organs.

OHS Press, 2023; 402 pgs. hardcover

M.P. Möller: The Artist of Organs — The Organ of Artists - by Bynum Petty

$79.95

The second edition of this classic work has been completely revised and expanded with several new chapters, 11 appendixes that include 27 stoplists and a thematic catalog, and 92 illustrations, among which are all the known photographs of Saint-Saëns at the organ.
2023; OHS Press; 414 pgs.

Camille Saint-Saëns, Organist-Composer - by Rollin Smith

$49.99

Dennis Block's 2022 biography of Virgil Fox from his birth in 1912 until his appointment at the Riverside Church in New York City in May, 1946.
softcover, 330 pgs

Virgil Fox - In the Beginning, by Dennis Block

$42.95

Born in 1962, Olivier Latry is one of the top organists of the present-day world. Appointed organist of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris at the age of 23, his fame has spread beyond Paris as a globally acclaimed concert organist, but he is also a sought-after pedagogue at the Paris Conservatoire as well as at international master classes. In dialogue with music editor and author Stéphane Friédérich, he covers a wide range of topics, revealing both his profound knowledge, and his personal convictions and confessions, always passionately expressed. The reader gains sound information about the self-image of the liturgical organist, organ improvisation, organ building issues, organ composers and compositions, world premieres, competitions, CD recordings, organ studies, popularization of the organ and its music, and much more. In addition to biographical details, the book contains valuable information about ‘his’ instrument at Notre Dame as well as his important predecessors in the organ loft. A highly readable book, which vastly widens our knowledge, especially of the French organ world, but also occasionally beyond it. Numerous illustrations.
Dr. J. Butz, 2022, 156 pgs, softcover

Butz

At the Organ of Notre-Dame; Conversations with Stéphane Friédérich, by Olivier Latry

$24.95

Widor: A Life Beyond the Toccata - by John R. Near

Rochester

Widor: A Life Beyond the Toccata - by John R. Near

$69.95

Words of Great French Organists of the 19th and 20th Centuries, now in stock. 375 pgs, hardcover

Organ Historical Society

Voices of French Organists' Experience - by John R. Near and Rollin Smith

$44.95

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