Royal occasions feature again in this issue of OR. First, there is Peter Holder, Sub-Organist at Westminster Abbey, writing on playing the organ both for the Queen’s funeral and for the Coronation. A fascinating ‘behind- the-scenes’ account specially commissioned by OR. Miriam Reveley, recent Organ Scholar of St George’s Windsor, writes about her part in the Queen’s funeral service at Windsor, and Dr Christopher Robinson talks about the fanfares he wrote for the Coronation, their musical origins and influences.

We also hear from two magnificent organists about their liturgical work: Thomas Ospital tells us about the organ and music of St-Eustache in Paris, including the now-celebrated Sunday afternoon concerts; and Richard Pinel looks back on his time at Jesus College Cambridge from his new role at St Mary’s, Bourne Street.

We have two essays that take OR in a slightly different direction from the familiar: our own Dr Martin Clarke considers the organ in Methodism (not least the plight of many organs amid today’s decline in Methodist attendance), giving us a clear overview of the whole history of the Methodist tradition. And The Rt Rev’d Dr Stephen Platten provides insight into the history of a different sort of tradition: that around Hymns, Ancient & Modern. ‘Mainly slow organ music’, a new project for contemporary organists and composers, is introduced by Huw Morgan while Thomas Allery, newly-appointed Director of Music at the Temple Church, gives a tutorial in the very basics of how to realise figured bass.