Secular Organists

Unlike the virginals, viol, lute, flute, and violin (later in the century), the organ was not widely seen as an instrument for amateur players in England in the seventeenth century. This was probably because (at first) only the most wealthy individuals could afford a consort organ and they employed professional musicians to entertain them. Even when string consort playing to the organ filtered lower down the social scale and (still wealthy) amateurs began to be involved as players, many households still employed a professional to organise, arrange, compose and direct the music, and that person was very often the organist.

This practice is reflected in the fact that most of the source material that organists played from required professional skills to realise (such as those discussed here under the performance practice headings) and fully written-out organ parts that could be played as they stood were rare. It is also reflected in the fact that, unlike  the other instruments mentioned above, the organ did not have a treatise or instructional material for amateurs in England until the middle of the eighteenth century. Although there are a few accounts of amateur players (Roger North being perhaps the best known) they were exceptions.

The list in the PDF linked below lists the known professional organists who worked at the court and elsewhere in secular contexts (i.e., I do not include chapel organists who were not recorded as playing in other domestic contexts). I have listed their employers, wages, and dates of service wherever these are known. Any further information on this topic would be most gratefully received.

Secular Organists