Sacred Music

Bristow served as a church organist and choir director for most of his professional life, in almost a dozen different churches (1840s-1890s). The type of music performed in churches on holy days is readily available; what was heard on regular Sundays is mostly unknown. A 1906 publication about music at Manhattan’s Trinity Church, however, is instructive about both types of services. Bristow programmed compositions by both European and American composers, especially on holy days; this indicates his continued support for fellow composers. He wrote numerous sacred works for organ (interludes, voluntaries, various pieces) and voice (anthems, sentences, services, hymns, songs, offertories, and oratorios).