Enjoying it for its own sake: there is much we don't know about 17th-century Exeter organist John Lugge but on this new disc William Whitehead leaves us engaged & intrigued

The Forbidden Fruit: organ music by John Lugge; William Whitehead; Editions Hortus
Reviewed 15 December 2025

Using a French organ that provides a sound world as close as we can get to early 17th century Exeter, William Whitehead explores the organ music of John Lugge, by turns fascinating, dazzling and imaginative. We don't know much about the composer, but his music is well worth investigating.

17th-century composer and organist John Lugge is not a well known name, and his organ music was written for a type of instrument that no longer exists in England. For this new disc from Editions Hortus, Forbidden Fruit, organist William Whitehead travelled to Bolbec in Normandy, France to record a selection of John Lugge's surviving works, ten of his plainchant-based pieces and three of his free voluntaries, early examples of the so-called 'double voluntary'.

We don't actually know that much about John Lugge. Born in Barnstaple in 1580, the son of a shoe-maker, he first shows up in the historical record in 1602 as Organist at Exeter Cathedral where he remains until 1647 after which it is presumed he must have died. There is no record of his early musical training or experience, though stylistically his music can be linked to that of composers from the Chapel Royal including John Bull and Whitehead's article in the CD booklet points out that Arthur Cocke, Exeter Cathedral's Organist from 1689 was appointed to the Chapel Royal in 1601.

Lugge was highly regarded, being described as a 'rare organist' by one Lieutenant Harrison in 1635. As to the instrument Lugge was playing, well Whitehead has needed to look abroad to find something suitable. When it comes to two (or more) manual instruments in the UK, very little remains intact on any scale from before the 18th century, and we know that in the 1630s Exeter had a particularly splendid organ. The organ at Saint-Michel de Bolbec was originally built in 1630 by the organ builder William Lesley (Guillaume Leslie) for a church in Rouen. Lesley was Scots but based in Rouen. The organ was enlarged in 1728-30 and moved to Bolbec in 1792. There were 19th-century interventions, but the 1999 restoration took it back to its 1792 state. It has pipework contemporary with Lugge, retains its four 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 genre that developed during the 16th century when the organist would play chant-based voluntaries alternating with the sung chant. This would hardly be happening in Exeter in the 17th century when the Reformation was in full swing, so it is not clear why Lugge wrote these works which hark back to the work of organists like Tallis, Byrd and Bull. 

We do know that Lugge's family had Roman Catholic sympathies, his brother went to live in Lisbon, his son converted to Rome and fled England. Lugge remained, but was examined by the Bishop in 1618 who wrote "I fear, and by conference do suspect that he hath eaten a little bit, or mumbled a piece of this forbidden fruit, yet I verily believe that he hath spit it all out again." Yet these pieces hint at this forbidden fruit. Perhaps they were for private devotions or a technical exercise, or perhaps the Cathedral authorities simply ignored the old liturgical meaning of the chant. 

The sound of the organ is somewhat startling at first, very up front and bright in tone. The first Gloria tibi trinitas sets the tone, a variety of instrumental lines almost dancing around the slow plainchant in a positively exuberant manner. The second and third are more restrained yet still with that sense of liveliness in the contrapuntal lines. There is something perkily scherzo-like about the fourth, followed by upfront vigour in the final two. All six together make a striking and coherent group, rather than six separate essays.

Christe qui lux has a rather interestingly rhythmic feel to the counterpoint, whilst Miserere is more considered, the sound mellower but no less inventive. In nomine is the longest movement and, we should not forget that the In nomine had become an instrumental form, divorced from its liturgical origins. Here the sound is mellow too, but with a vigour to the different lines and the slow plainchant melody half disappears at times as if it is almost redundant. As the piece progresses, the space afforded by the length means that that Lugge's writing increases in imagination and the music dazzles.

Finally, Ut re mi fa so la, which is of a similar stature to In nomine. It begins in similarly stately fashion, but we are more aware of the stately underpinning of the long notes. As the contrapuntal lines get faster, the sense of dance increases as Whitehead's fingers dazzle us. 

EXETER CATHEDRAL, FROM AN ENGRAVING BY DANIEL KING, c. 1650
taken from Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Exeter (1898/1921) on Project Gutenberg

The final three voluntaries are known as 'Double Voluntaries', so-called because the pieces called for two (at least) manuals, thus allowing for contrasts in dynamic. This would be a type of voluntary that was developed by later composers such as Blow and Purcell. There is a robust vigour to Whitehead's performance of the first Voluntarie and here he ventures into using reeds too. In the booklet, Whitehead discusses what (little) we know about Exeter's organ in the early 17th century and speculates about the presence of reeds. Whatever the historical documentation, the musical results are superb as Whitehead brings out all the colour, movement and contrast in Lugge's writing. The second of the voluntaries is perhaps more sedate, yet Whitehead still brings plenty of contrast and articulation into the contrapuntal lines. The third is almost the most forward-looking, and its style certain seems to be pushing into the later 17th century and beyond.

Much of the information about this disc is tantalising, there is so much that we don't know. However, the performances from William Whitehead leave us in no doubt that this music is well worth exploring and even in the more sedate pieces he brings a sense of articulation and engagement to the music that makes us sit up, pay attention and enjoy it for its own sake. 

Never miss out on future posts by following us

The blog is free, but I'd be delighted if you were to show your appreciation by buying me a coffee.

Elsewhere on this blog

• Beyond St Cecilia: Purcell's large-scale ode plus Humfrey & Blow from The English Concert & Harry Bicket at Wigmore Hall - concert review 
• 'The Lord gave the word': communicability to the fore in Handel's Messiah from Academy of Ancient Music & Laurence Cummings - concert review
• Powerful & intense: the music of Elena Firsova & Dmitri Smirnov reflects their friendship with Rudersdal Chamber Players - record review
• A piece close to his heart: pianist Julian Chan on recording Leopold Godowsky's Java Suite for the Royal Academy of Music’s Bicentenary Series on Linn Record - interview
• Challenges & rewards: Tredegar Town Band celebrates the brass music of Robin Stevens with Brass Odyssey - record review
• From Eisenach to Venice to London to Scotland: Rachel Podger & Friends in an engagingly eclectic in Highgate - review
• Christina Rossetti: Nigel Foster's London Song Festival turns its focus on the poet with soprano Susan Bullock and speaker Janine Roebuck - review 
• Fatto per la Notte di Natale: the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin in festive Baroque mood - concert review 
• A thrilling Lady, compelling Macbeth & powerful last-minute stand-in: Chelsea Opera Group celebrates its 75th anniversary with Verdi's Macbeth in the full Paris version - review 
• Home