ABSTRACT
Elizabeth Stirling was one of several female and far more numerous male organists in nineteenth-century England who wrote for their instrument. The organ music printed in music journals, all composed by males, gives an indication of the type of music written for use in church by England's organists in the second half of the nineteenth century and sheds some light on compositional style. Female organists who composed for instruments other than the pianoforte were judged by the same double standard. By composing for pianoforte and for organ, female organists showed musical aspirations that extended beyond the interpretative realm of recitalist and church musician into the creative realm. Many composers, Stirling arranged vocal and orchestral works for the organ, a practice both praised and criticized in the musical press. Stirling's career at the time of her debut as an organ recitalist was earmarked by music critics as one of potential promise.
