PO Box 56357
London. SE16 7XL

Tel: 05600 767208

Academic Resources & Downloads

The Academic Resources webpage carries a variety of material which is either complete in itself or is to be seen as complementary to printed material. Topics are identified in the headings below, and explanatory texts in each section define the purpose and scope of the uploaded files.

All documents are available for members to download directly to their computers. Please log in gain access to the full list of documents, or click here for more information about joining the RCO. If you are not logged in as a member, those documents which are member only downloads will be greyed out.

In addition to these resources, there is a wide range of additional information and resources on the main download page.

The following resources are currently available:

  1. RCO Journal
  2. Beyond the Printed Edition: Buxtehude's Organ Music (Geoffrey Webber, 2007)
  3. A Chronological Checklist of Claviorgans and References to Claviorgans (Terence Charlston, 2009)
  4. Lost legacy: organs destroyed in London's Blitz, and what replaced them (David S. Knight, 2010; published in Choir & Organ magazine, September/October 2010)
  5. A History of the Royal College of Organists' Library (Robin Langley)


RCO Journal

The Journal of the Royal College of Organists is the College's annual research publication. It is available to Members (who have signed in) in this Downloads section of the RCO website or in printed form on request and without charge from the College Administration. Information about obtaining earlier issues of this periodical is available on request.

RCO Journal, volume 6, 2012
RCO Journal, volume 5, 2011

Beyond the Printed Edition: Buxtehude's Organ Music (Geoffrey Webber, 2007)

Buxtehude Commentary - Preface
Buxtehude Commentary - Introduction and Index
Buxtehude Commentary Pt I - Non-chorale compositions ex C
Buxtehude Commentary Pt II - Non-chorale compositions ex D
Buxtehude Commentary Pt III - Non-chorale compositions ex E
Buxtehude Commentary Pt IV - Non-chorale compositions ex F and F#
Buxtehude Commentary Pt V - Non-chorale compositions ex G
Buxtehude Commentary Pt VI - Non-chorale compositions ex A (and Quarti Toni)
Buxtehude Commentary Pt VII - Chorale compositions A-M
Buxtehude Commentary Pt VIII - Chorale compositions N - Z
Buxtehude Commentary - Aspects of Performance Practice

A Chronological Checklist of Claviorgans and References to Claviorgans (Terence Charlston, 2009)

Checklist and References to Claviorgans - Preface
Article from RCO Journal 3 (2009)
Claviorgan checklist (October 2009)
Sound files - index
Claviorgan sound files 1-10
Claviorgan sound files 11-20
Claviorgan sound files 21-29

Lost legacy: organs destroyed in London's Blitz, and what replaced them (David S. Knight, 2010; published in Choir & Organ magazine, Sept/Oct 2010)

This article first appeared in the September/October 2010 issue of Choir & Organ magazine. Copyright Rhinegold Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

David S. Knight first presented this material as part of a paper for a meeting of the British Institute of Organ Studies held in November 2009, in the City of London. The paper was given in the church of St Dunstan in the West where the organ, although not destroyed in the war, was rebuilt shortly after it by Willis & Co. The organ has recently been restored by David Wells and remains as an example of mid-twentieth century English organ building.

Lost Legacy - Organs Destroyed in London's Blitz
Lost Legacy - NPOR links

A History of The Royal College of Organists' Library

By Robin Langley, College Librarian, 1990-2003

History of the RCO Library