The Forbidden Fruit: organ music by John Lugge; William Whitehead; Editions Hortus
Reviewed 15 December 2025
Utilizing a French organ that gives a sound world as shut as we are able to get to early Seventeenth century Exeter, William Whitehead explores the organ music of John Lugge, by turns fascinating, dazzling and imaginative. We do not know a lot concerning the composer, however his music is properly value investigating.
Seventeenth-century composer and organist John Lugge is just not a well-known title, and his organ music was written for a sort of instrument that now not exists in England. For this new disc from Editions Hortus, Forbidden Fruit, organist William Whitehead travelled to Bolbec in Normandy, France to file a collection of John Lugge’s surviving works, ten of his plainchant-based items and three of his free voluntaries, early examples of the so-called ‘double voluntary’.
We do not truly know that a lot about John Lugge. Born in Barnstaple in 1580, the son of a shoe-maker, he first reveals up within the historic file in 1602 as Organist at Exeter Cathedral the place he stays till 1647 after which it’s presumed he should have died. There isn’t a file of his early musical coaching or expertise, although stylistically his music may be linked to that of composers from the Chapel Royal together with John Bull and Whitehead’s article within the CD booklet factors out that Arthur Cocke, Exeter Cathedral’s Organist from 1689 was appointed to the Chapel Royal in 1601.
Lugge was extremely regarded, being described as a ‘uncommon organist’ by one Lieutenant Harrison in 1635. As to the instrument Lugge was enjoying, properly Whitehead has wanted to look overseas to search out one thing appropriate. On the subject of two (or extra) handbook devices within the UK, little or no stays intact on any scale from earlier than the 18th century, and we all know that within the 1630s Exeter had a very splendid organ. The organ at Saint-Michel de Bolbec was initially in-built 1630 by the organ builder William Lesley (Guillaume Leslie) for a church in Rouen. Lesley was Scots however primarily based in Rouen. The organ was enlarged in 1728-30 and moved to Bolbec in 1792. There have been Nineteenth-century interventions, however the 1999 restoration took it again to its 1792 state. It has pipework modern with Lugge, retains its 4 keyboards and a 30-note “à la Française” pedalboard, and is tuned to an uneven temperament (Savior, 1701).
The disc begins with ten of Lugge’s plainchant-based voluntaries, six Gloria tibi trinitas, Christe qui lux, Miserere, In nomine and Ut re mi fa sol la. This was a style that developed through the sixteenth century when the organist would play chant-based voluntaries alternating with the sung chant. This might hardly be occurring in Exeter within the Seventeenth century when the Reformation was in full swing, so it isn’t clear why Lugge wrote these works which hark again to the work of organists like Tallis, Byrd and Bull.
We do know that Lugge’s household had Roman Catholic sympathies, his brother went to stay in Lisbon, his son transformed to Rome and fled England. Lugge remained, however was examined by the Bishop in 1618 who wrote “I worry, and by convention do suspect that he hath eaten somewhat bit, or mumbled a bit of this forbidden fruit, but I verily imagine that he hath spit all of it out once more.” But these items trace at this forbidden fruit. Maybe they had been for personal devotions or a technical train, or maybe the Cathedral authorities merely ignored the previous liturgical which means of the mantra.
The sound of the organ is considerably startling at first, very up entrance and brilliant in tone. The primary Gloria tibi trinitas units the tone, a wide range of instrumental traces virtually dancing across the sluggish plainchant in a positively exuberant method. The second and third are extra restrained but nonetheless with that sense of liveliness within the contrapuntal traces. There’s something perkily scherzo-like concerning the fourth, adopted by upfront vigour within the closing two. All six collectively make a putting and coherent group, somewhat than six separate essays.
Christe qui lux has a somewhat apparently rhythmic really feel to the counterpoint, while Miserere is extra thought of, the sound mellower however no much less ingenious. In nomine is the longest motion and, we must always not neglect that the In nomine had grow to be an instrumental type, divorced from its liturgical origins. Right here the sound is mellow too, however with a vigour to the completely different traces and the sluggish plainchant melody half disappears at instances as whether it is virtually redundant. Because the piece progresses, the area afforded by the size implies that that Lugge’s writing will increase in creativeness and the music dazzles.
Lastly, Ut re mi fa so la, which is of an identical stature to In nomine. It begins in equally stately vogue, however we’re extra conscious of the stately underpinning of the lengthy notes. Because the contrapuntal traces get quicker, the sense of dance will increase as Whitehead’s fingers dazzle us.
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| EXETER CATHEDRAL, FROM AN ENGRAVING BY DANIEL KING, c. 1650 taken from Bell’s Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter (1898/1921) on Venture Gutenberg |
The ultimate three voluntaries are referred to as ‘Double Voluntaries’, so-called as a result of the items referred to as for 2 (at the least) manuals, thus permitting for contrasts in dynamic. This might be a sort of voluntary that was developed by later composers corresponding to Blow and Purcell. There’s a sturdy vigour to Whitehead’s efficiency of the primary Voluntarie and right here he ventures into utilizing reeds too. Within the booklet, Whitehead discusses what (little) we learn about Exeter’s organ within the early Seventeenth century and speculates concerning the presence of reeds. Regardless of the historic documentation, the musical outcomes are excellent as Whitehead brings out all the color, motion and distinction in Lugge’s writing. The second of the voluntaries is maybe extra sedate, but Whitehead nonetheless brings loads of distinction and articulation into the contrapuntal traces. The third is nearly probably the most forward-looking, and its type sure appears to be pushing into the later Seventeenth century and past.
A lot of the details about this disc is tantalising, there’s a lot that we do not know. Nevertheless, the performances from William Whitehead go away us in little doubt that this music is properly value exploring and even within the extra sedate items he brings a way of articulation and engagement to the music that makes us sit up, listen and revel in it for its personal sake.
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