Sorabji Resource Site (SRS)

Web Pages Devoted to Sorabji

This page lists, in alphabetical order of author, web pages (as opposed to entire sites) that deal in some way with Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji. It also includes, for documentary purposes in the history of the reception of the music, web pages that have been removed. See also the page devoted to websites devoted to Sorabji.

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Author Title Comments
Author Title Comments
Altarus Records Altarus Records News Page Chris Rice, the founder and owner of Altarus Records, documents “forthcoming and recent events featuring music, composers and artists associated with Altarus Records, and sometimes other events that we think are interesting”. As his label is the one most closely associated with Sorabji’s music, there is extensive information on Jonathan Powell’s recordings and performances.
Carter, David [David Carter] My Adventures with Kaikhosru Sorabji (no longer available; replaced with a YouTube channel and, in February 2022, with Kaikhosru Sorabji’s Orchestral Music
The tubist David Carter (Davetubaking), who has been working for several years on an edition of the Symphony [no. 2], “Jāmī”, for Large Orchestra, Wordless Chorus, and Baritone Solo (1942-51; 826 pp.), offers comments about his work and sound files of excerpts from the aforementioned work as well as of:
  • Opus clavicembalisticum (1929-30; 253 pp.)
  • Toccata seconda per pianoforte (1933-34; 111 pp.)
  • Second Symphony for Organ (1929-32; 350 pp.)
  • Sequentia cyclica super “Dies irae” ex Missa pro defunctis (1948-49; 335 pp.)

See also his Virtual Jami Blog: Progress in creating a virtual performance of Sorabji’s Jami Symphony (no longer available; see the link under Title).

Edwards, Michael [Michael Edwards] List of possible errors in Opus Clavicembalisticum by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji Michael Edwards (Victoria, Australia) has prepared a list (dated 11 April 2000, modified on 4 October 2002) of possible errors in Sorabji’s score that may be useful in preparing a new edition of the score (which is in progress as of 2023). The file consists of an introductory text (5 pages) followed by the list of errors (9 pages).
Ezust, Emily [Emily Ezust] The LiederNet Archive This website contains a page dedicated to Sorabji, with texts that he set to music and translations. It is possible to see which composers have also set the same texts.
Farnum, Elizabeth [Elizabeth Farnum] The Sorabji Project Home Page (no longer active, at least as of September 2009) The American soprano Elizabeth Farnum, who has premiered most of Sorabji’s songs for female voice and recorded them with Margaret Kampmeier for Centaur Records, has set up a web page to promote her project (link no longer active).
Gramophone Gramophone Archive The archival website of the well-known record magazine (subscription required) makes it possible to search for all articles and letters by Sorabji as well as for passing mentions of his name throughout the entire collection. Sorabji’s contributions are listed elsewhere.
Habermann, Michael [Michael Habermann] Michael Habermann, pianist Michael Habermann, one of the first pianists to give authorized performances of Sorabji’s works, offers copies of the articles he wrote about Sorabji, reviews of his recordings and live performances, detailed data on his recordings, as well as sound files of two interviews about Sorabji and an excerpt from the Rapsodie espagnole de Maurice Ravel—​Transcription de concert pour piano (second version, 1945; 26 pp.).
Irving, James Duncan [James Duncan Irving} Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (no longer active) This page offers the reminiscences of Dr. James Duncan Irving (1922-2015), a retired English interventional radiologist in the National Health Service, who met Sorabji while he was a medical student. On 10 July 1944 the composer gave him a bound copy of the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra [no. 5] (1920; 144 pp.), which he donated to the Royal College of Music around 1992, and an annotated copy of Opus clavicembalisticum (1929-30; 253 pp.), marked “Working Copy:- / with Corrections: / MCMXXXII”, donated to the Sorabji Archive on 18 April 1997.
Poster, Gary, and Friedman, Karyn [Gary Poster and Karyn Friedman] DaringDiva’s Descriptive Art Song Catalog (link no longer active as of September 2009) This website, which consists of an “indexed repertoire list of over 650 (and growing) lesser-known and contemporary art songs”, includes a page on Sorabji with data on the titles and ranges of his songs.
Nanasakov, Michael [Michael Nanasakov] Virtual Pianist: Michael Nanasakov Pianist Workshop Michael Nanasakov, which is the pseudonym of a Japanese piano technician named Junichi Nanasawa who calls himself “Virtual Pianist” and also identifies his company as “Nanasawa Articulates”, provides data (in Japanese) on sound files (“18/100 Transcendental Piano Studies (Marc-André Hamelin’s Edition”; no. JNCD-1010) he made in 2002 of the first eighteen of the Études transcendantes (100) (1940-44; 456 pp.), using Marc-André Hamelin’s edition, as well as of the Two Piano Pieces (1918, 1920; 20 pp.), the Prelude, Interlude, and Fugue for Piano (1920, 1922; 17 pp.), and the Pasticcio capriccioso sopra l’op. 64, no 1 del Chopin (1933; 8 pp.).

As of 28 May 2013, the recording is no longer available, as is a letter from Alistair Hinton dated 16 February 2005 requesting that the recording be withheld from publication, a request Nanasakov has complied with.
Roberge, Marc-André [Marc-André Roberge] Marc-André Roberge The personal page of the musicologist Marc-André Roberge provides a complete bibliography of his writings, including all his work on Sorabji, with links to samples of his critical editions published by the Sorabji Archive and data on performances and recordings using his editions.
Thomas, Mark A. [Mark A. Thomas] Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji (no longer available) The author, who runs a website called “sorabji.com”, posted a page about Sorabji on 20 April 2003, with links to other sites. The rest of the site has nothing to do with the composer. One can find a sound file of the author’s performance of “In the Hothouse” from Two Piano Pieces (1918, 1920; 20 pp.).
Ullén, Fredrik [Fredrik Ullén] 100 Transcendental Etudes (1940-44): Comments by Fredrik Ullén The Swedish pianist Fredrik Ullén, who recorded the complete Études transcendantes (100) (1940-44; 456 pp.) for BIS, offers brief comments on selected studies; this list also includes durations and data on first performances. His estimated durations (including cumulative ones) are also given in a summary table, together with data on first performances, An earlier version of this material used to be hosted on Ullén’s personal website, which is no longer operational.
Various Piano Street The Piano Street website has a “Piano Board” whose “Repertoire” section very often contains discussion threads dealing with Sorabji. The threads on Sorabji often resort to flame mail.
Vignani, Alberto [Alberto Vignani] [Sound files for sections from Opus clavicembalisticum and Symphonic Variations] Alberto Vignani, a software engineer from Turin, Italy, has created sound files of music by Sorabji:
  • Sections from Opus clavicembalisticum (1929-30; 253 pp.): “Introito”, “Fantasia”, “Toccata”, “Adagio”, “Passacaglia” (vars. 1-13), “Cadenza I”, and “Fuga Tertia” (first part); posted on 19 May 2008
  • Sections from the Symphonic Variations for Piano and Orchestra (1935-37, 1953-56; 540 pp.): “Introito”, vars. 1-3, 4-6, 17-19, 25-26; posted on 5 August 2008
These were formerly available from a RapidShare page (posted in 2008; no longer available as of May 2013).
Last modified: 2024-03-05
© Marc-André Roberge 2024
Sorabji Resource Site (SRS)
Faculté de musique, Université Laval, Québec

The contents of this website dedicated to the English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji may be freely used for documentary purposes in a research context, provided that due credit is given, but may not be mirrored on any other server. Links to external or third-party websites are not guaranteed to be or remain valid or persistent and their content is not guaranteed to be or remain accurate or appropriate.

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