The Influence of the American Orchestral Organ on Selected Works of Leo Sowerby

Abstract

Leo Sowerby (1895-1968), one of America’s most prolific twentieth-century composers, wrote many organ compositions for the American orchestral organ, the instrument on which he played. Following a biographical sketch of Sowerby, I will describe the orchestral organ as exemplified in instruments by American organ builders Austin and Ernest M. Skinner. Six organ works—“Comes Autumn Time,” “Carillon,” “Requiescat in Pace,” “Chorale and Fugue,” “Fantasy for Flute Stops,” “Luise”—representative of Sowerby’s compositional Periods are analyzed in terms of registration peculiar to the orchestral organ. Melodic structure, a key feature of Sowerby’s style in organ works from his earliest period, is also highlighted.