Edward Elgar (1857-1934)
Organ Sonata No. 1 (Op. 28)
(1895)

I. Allegro maestoso
II. Allegretto
III. Andante espressivo
IV. Presto (comodo)

Recordings
Legend
# Performer Label / Album # LP/CD/LD Date of recording (R)/(P)/etc. (=YYYY.MM.DD)
"Album Title"
Place of Recording (Instrument) Duration: 1+2+3+4 movmnt./Total
Details of the music contained in each album (other than the Elgar Sonata) are not shown.

Organ Solo versions (in my possession)

1. Herbert Sumsion EMI CSD 1595 LP (R)1965.1.4-6 (P)1965,1996
EMI 7243 5 65594 2 4 CD
"ELGAR: Sacred Music - Organ Sonata"
Gloucester Cathedral, UK (Harrison and Harrison, 1920) 8:48+6:08+6:21+7:53 / (29:10)

2. Simon Preston Argo 414 647-1 LP (P)1967
"Elgar: Organ Sonata"
Colston Hall, Bristol, UK (Harrison and Harrison?) 9:00+4:15+5:45+6:50 / -

20. Rollin Smith Repertoire Recording Society RRS 11 LP (R)1973
"Organ Music of Elgar and Mozart"
Church of Saint Rose of Lima, Brooklyn, NY, USA (Holtkamp, 1962) - / -

3. Jennifer Bate ASV LP 1978?
(P)1985(=LP)
ASV QUICKSILVA ASQ 6160 CD
" - "
Royal Albert Hall, London, UK (Willis, 1872/Harrison and Harrison 1924, 1933) - / -

4. Nicolas Kynaston Mitra OSM 16157 LP (R)Oct.1977
"Elgar/Reubke - Ingolstadt"
Münster zu Ingolstadt (Klais 1977) - / -

5. Thomas Murray TownHall S-23 LP (R)1978?
(P)(C)1990
AFKA SK 507 CD
" - "
"An American Masterpiece"
Immaculate Conception Church, Boston, MA, USA (E. & G.G. Hook, Op.322, 1863) 9:17+4:22+6:02+7:21 / -
9:18+4:16+6:04+7:27 / 27:25

6. Christopher Bowers-Broadbent Priory PR 151 LP (R)1984.5.3
"Elgar and Howells"
Coventry Cathedral, UK (Harrison and Harrison) 9:17+4:22+6:02+7:21 / -

7. Donald Hunt Alpha (Abbey) ACA 540 LP (R)1984.5.28-29
"Elgar's Organ Music"
Worcester Cathedral, UK - / -

8. Christopher Herrick Meridian CDE 84085 CD (C) 1987
"Elgar Organ music"
Westminster Abbey, London, UK 7:44+3:25+7:01+6:32 / -

9. Wolfgang Ruebsam Bayer BR-100049 CD (R)1988.11.1-2
"The Romantic Organ / Romantische Orgelmusik"
Rockfeller Memorial Chapel, University of Chicago, IL, USA (E.M. Skinner, 1928) 9:50+5:05+6:28+8:07 / 29:32

10. Paul-Martin Maki Titanic Ti-226 CD (R)1990.7.9-11
"Elgar & Company"
MacMurray College, Jacksonville, Illinois, USA (AEolian Skinner, 1928) 9:12+4:27+5:54+7:46 / 27:18

11. Carlo Curley Argo 433 450-2 CD (R)1991(?), (P)(C)1991
"Organ Imperial"
St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, UK (Harrison and Harrison) - / -

12. Daniel Matrone REM 311158 CD 1991
"L'AU-DELÀ du ROMANTISME (LISZT/ELGAR/REGER)"
L'Abbatiale de Saint-Sever, Landes, France (Cavaillé-Coll) 9:56+4:13+5:36+7:03 / -

13. Gareth Green Naxos 8.550582 CD 1991
"English Organ Music"
Chesterfield Parish Church, UK 7:53+3:53+6:02+6:40 / -

14. Carlo Curley Polydor (Japan) POLL-1068 LD (R)1992, (P)(C)1993
"Organ Imperial"
St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol, UK (Harrison and Harrison) - / - (Live recording)

15. Christopher Herrick Hyperion CDA 66778 CD (R)1995.3.15-16
"Organ Fireworks VI"
Wellington Town Hall, New Zealand (Norman & Beard 1906) - / 25:05

16. Thomas Murray Gothic G 49076 CD (P)1995
"Elgar at Woolsey Hall"
Woolsey Hall, Yale University, USA (Hutchings-Votey/Steere/E.M. Skinner) 9:36+4:33+6:45+7:36 / -

17. John Scott Priory PRCD 401 CD
"GREAT EUROPEAN ORGANS No.34"
St Paul's Cathedral, London, UK 9:44+4:22+7:02+6:56 / -

18. Arturo Sacchetti ARTS 47391-2 CD (R)1991.6/(P)(C)1997
"Organ History - ENGLAND: From Elgar to Arnell"
Chiesa S. Geraldo a Majella, Roma, Italy (Rieger? 1986) 11:29+5:08+6:54+8:35 / -

Orchestration by Gordon Jacob (1946)

A1. Vernon Handley / RLPO EMI CD-EMX 2143 CD (R)1988.8.31-9.1. (P)1989
"ELGAR: ORGAN SONATA & Wand of Youth No.1 & No.2"
Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, UK 8:33+4:14+6:39+4:59 / -
This is the premiere recording of Jacob's orchestration. Adrian Boult conducted the first performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra on 4th June, 1947, on the Home Service.

Organ Solo versions (not in my possession)
  • 19. Harold Darke, Mirrosonic 1006 (LP), St. Michael's Cornhill, UK. (R)1957
  • 21. Christopher Robinson, RCA LR22 5120 (LP), Worcester Cathedral, UK. (R)1976
  • 22. Hubert Best, Abbey Alpha APS 346 (LP), Birmingham Cathedral, UK. (R)1983
  • 23. June Nixon, Move MS 3059 (LP), St.Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia
  • 24. Roger Fisher, Motette-Ursina 11501 (CD) "Roger Fisher spielt Elgar"
  • 25. Michael Gassmann, Telos Records TLS 019 (CD), Liebfrauenkirche Günterstal, Germany (Fischer & Kraemer) ; (R) 1997
    To be released shortly
  • 26. Stephen Ridgley-Whitehouse, Nutcracker Production Co. (CD), Ulster Hall


    Music
  • Edition Breitkopf: Nr. 3404
  • Novello: Elgar Complete Edition - MUSIC FOR ORGAN


    Reading
  • Jerrold Northrop Moore: "EDWARD ELGAR - A CREATIVE LIFE"
    (Oxford University Press, 1984, (paperback)1987) pp. 188-195


    Links
  • The Elgar Society (and The Elgar Foundation)
  • Edward Elgar homepage created by Gordon Lee



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    This page will always be under construction.
    I appreciate your comments and/or info on recordings of the Elgar Sonata to: elgar-e@orgel.com

    T. Ohbayashi me fecit. Copyright (C) 1998-2000 by T. Ohbayashi.
    Last modified 2004-May-12. This page first uploaded 1998-June-14.