ALTON ORGAN SOCIETY (Founded 1967) ♬♪𝄞 Updated Tuesday 14 April 2026
Alton Organ Society's 2025/2026 Season of Organ Concerts
Organ Recitals Nationwide
On Tuesday 7 April 2026, we were privileged to hear Ben Scott (Sacred Heart Church, Caterham) give a most enjoyable, varied and inspired organ concert. Ben also works for the organ builders, Harrison & Harrison who have been tuning and maintaining the St Lawrence Church organ since 2012. It was soon evident that his professional understanding of the organ gave rise to some very interesting stop settings including one giving an authentic bell sound when playing Marcel Fournier' "Cloches" (Bells) using a single 4'flute stop. The flute theme was a recurring feature!. Ben opened his programme with "Trio pour les Flutes & Grand Jeu avec le tonnerre" by M Corrette (1707-95). Corrette was a flamboyant organist, teacher (earned more than as an organist) and prolific composer. Domenico Scarlatti was one of the three Greats (Bach, Handel and Scarlatti) all born in 1685. Ben played one of his 555 short Sonata compositions (for harpsichord); Sonata in D major L265. Perhaps Ben main work was the "Introduction and Passacaglia" in D minor by Max Reger (1873-1916). This is a huge composition renown for a score covered in black (notes) and probably composed to match JS Bach's famous Passacaglia in C minor. Both have the ostinato repetitive theme in the pedal. By the time Franz Liszt composed his "Evocation a la Chapelle Sixtine", he was at the top of his profession as a world famous and distinguished concert pianist. After queuing he managed to visit the inside of the Sistine Chapel where he was inspired to compose this Maundy Thursday piece which features Mozart's choral piece "Ave verum corpus" and Allegri's "Miserere". It is renown for its religious intensity. As a complete contrast, we leapt forward to the 21st century to hear "Prelude & Trumpetings" by the American organist, Myron Roberts (1912-2004). This was a tour de force of unpredictability - great fun. Finally, Ben played two pieces based on the sound of bells (Cloches). As alluded to earlier, Marcel Fournier's (1899-1963) "Cloches" was played on a single 4' flute stop on swell, great and choir manuals. Ben said that it had a genuine bell sound more evident further away from the organ. The clue to its authenticity was the chord settings starting with (left hand E flat & C (above middle C) and in the right hand (octave) G, C and F all in the key of A flat. The intervals were repeated throughout. The concert ended with Louis Vierne's 'Les Clothes de Hinckley" inspired by a chiming clock. Ben's programme can be viewed here.
This was an unusual but highly erudite concert programme played inspiringly by Ben Scott much to the deep appreciation of the audience.
The fifth - and final for the 2025/2026 Season - organ concert will be given by Ourania Gassiou (Concert Organist, Greece) on Tuesday 5 May 2026. Here programme can be viewed here.
Alton Organ Society Committee - New Members Welcome
The organ society committee is keen to attract new members to maintain the future success of Alton Organ Society now in its 59th year. There are tasks that do not require organ playing skills but the ability to administer the running of the society. For instance, if you are interested and able to be a graphic designer - creating posters, designing programme formats etc - and, maybe good at running a website including updating on a regular basis to keep it fresh and interesting, we would like to hear from you. If you plan to attend any of the future organ concerts and would like to discuss these roles with committee members, please do approach one of us or contact us by email - click here.
David Hill MBE organist and International Choral Director, Patron of the Alton Organ Society and past President of the Royal College of Organists very kindly recorded a CD on the St Lawrence Church, Alton, organ to celebrate 55 years of the Organ Society existence and to raise funds for the restoration of the Speechly organ. The music was recorded by Herald AV Publications, a specialist recording company, in October 2022. The CD was launched at St Lawrence Church, Alton on Tuesday 4 October 2022. The CD costs £15 of which £3.00 of the purchase price will go towards the organ restoration fund. David's CD was reviewed by Choir & Organ Magazine and copies of that review and Graeme Kay's article on the Society can be seen here. The CD can be purchased from members of the Society Committee, from Resurrection Furniture in Alton and at the Society's Organ Concerts. For further details and purchase of a CD do use the contact page here.
There is an excellent website that lists national organ concerts (including those held in Alton) and can be viewed here. Please list altonorgansociety.co.uk & Organ Recitals Nationwide among your favourites.