The Homage to Handel for Organ was composed ‘as an expression of thanks for having been elected as an honorary member of the Royal College of Organists in 1914. Karg-Elert responded to the honour with this work calling on inspiration from a composer ‘whom both England and German claim as their own’ at the time of the commencement of hostilities between the two nations. Sigfrid Karg-Elert was a German composer active in the early twentieth century whose broad output is eclipsed almost entirely by his works for harmonium and Organ instruments for which he was a gifted and prolific composer. His Organ works include the highly regarded Sixty-six Choral Improvisations andTwenty Choral Preludes and Postludes among others. Many of his works are active in Organ repertoire.
