54 compositions by William Brown (Wilhelmo Brouno), Christian Erbach(?), Andrea Gabrieli, Claudio Merulo, Vincenzo Pellegrini, Peter Philips, Gerardus Scroncx, Paul Siefert, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck.

Among the sources of seventeenth century keyboard music, the Book of the Crosiers of Liège occupies an exceptional position since it contains some unique composers as important as Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck and Peter Philips. It is also a remarkable manuscript in that this is one of the earliest appearances in organ music of accurate indications regarding registrations. Since its first edition in 1910, as the last volume of Alexandre Guilmant’s Archives des Maîtres de l’Orgue, musicological research has established new concordances, made some new attributions and proposed a few hypotheses which must still be confirmed.

The paternity of the present edition is due to the Organ Commission of the City of Liège, created in 1975 by the alderman Hubert Magotte. Realities of political life being what they are, it is his successor, the alderman Jean-Pierre Hupkens who at last has seen to its publication. In this way, the principal document concerning the organ in Liège and its music will again be accessible as a whole, with editorial remarks and commentaries, that seek to provide the reader with the most recent findings of musicological research as well as a rigorous and practical musical text.