# Charles Villiers Stanford



## Portamento

*Charles Villiers Stanford* (1852- 1924) was one of the leading musicians of his generation and had a profound effect on the development and history of English music as a performer, conductor, composer, teacher and writer.

Born in Dublin to a musical family, Stanford attended Queen's College Cambridge as an organ scholar. He subsequently studied composition in Germany, became organist at Trinity College Cambridge in 1873 and Conductor of the Cambridge University Musical Society in 1875. He was appointed Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music in London in 1883 (a position that he held for more than forty years) and Professor of Music at Cambridge in 1888. He subsequently held appointments as Conductor of the Bach Choir in London, The Leeds Philharmonic Society and The Leeds Festival.

Stanford was a prolific composer, completing seven symphonies, eight string quartets, nine operas, more than 300 songs, 30 large scale choral works and a large body of chamber music. He also composed a substantial number of works for the organ, as well as anthems and settings of the canticles for the Anglican Church.

While he has often been dismissed as a German imitator ―an unoriginal fabricator of "Brahmsian" music ―anything more than a cursory investigation of his music reveals his Celtic roots, as well as his intense individuality. This combining of German and Celtic traditions to create an integrated idiom was instrumental in establishing an English style upon which the next generation of British composer could build. In his article on Stanford for the New Grove, Frederick Hudson writes, "_Stanford's name is linked with those of Charles H. H. Parry, Walter Parratt, and Edward Elgar in referring to the late 19th century renaissance in English music. It is arguable that Stanford made the greatest contribution to this renaissance, and that the labels of "Victorian" and "Edwardian" apply less to his music than to that of the others._"

Today Stanford is largely remembered for his songs and religious music as well as his influence on several generations of composition students at the Royal College of Music. These included Sir Arthur Bliss, Frank Bridge, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Rebecca Clarke, Ivor Gurney, Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells, John Ireland, Ralph Vaughan Williams, and Charles Wood. There has been a revival of interest in Stanford's music over the past two decades and an increasing number of his works are now available in recordings.

―_The Stanford Society_, _Classical.Net_ (more or less)​
_A few more notes about Stanford:_

Currently, I don't know much about this composer; I am listening to his symphonies, all of which so far have been magnificent. _Symphony No. 7_ is my personal favorite, but you will have to tell me yours. _Unsung Masterworks_ does a great job with uploading (I think) all of his symphonies on YouTube. Everything Stanford wrote was undeniably British, and were important steps towards raising the reputation of England and her music in the 20th century.

_A sidenote._ While he is primarily known for his five virtuosic organ sonatas (Stanford was an organist), the composer also wrote a fair amount for piano. I am a fan of his _Preludes_, Opp. 163 & 179, which show that he is as versatile as any other (if not already hilighted by his symphonies). There is countless chamber music to explore, so we've all got jobs to do!

As always, any thoughts, comments, and questions about Charles Villiers Stanford are welcome. Let's start uncovering his wealth of music, one score at a time...


----------



## JAS

I strongly recommend his Irish Rhapsodies.

I see that there are several CD of his organ music, with which I am not familiar. Unfortunately, these CDs, although of fairly recent date, seem not to be readily available. Can anyone comment on his organ music in general, or these CDs in particular?


----------



## Pugg

I have one CD with his Partsongs, nice when you are in the right mood.


----------



## JAS

I see that several of the organ pieces, performed by Daniel Cook, are on youtube. Based on these, I tracked down Priory Records, in the UK, and bought the set. (They will ship to the USA, although I suppose it will take a couple of weeks to arrive.)


----------



## Portamento

JAS said:


> I see that several of the organ pieces, performed by Daniel Cook, are on youtube.


Yes, I saw those too!


----------



## Pugg

JAS said:


> I see that several of the organ pieces, performed by Daniel Cook, are on youtube. Based on these, I tracked down Priory Records, in the UK, and bought the set. (They will ship to the USA, although I suppose it will take a couple of weeks to arrive.)


All good things are coming to those who wait with patience....


----------



## Kivimees

This CD is a real winner:


----------



## doctorjohn

Love his Songs of the Sea


----------



## Portamento

Very excited for the upcoming Hyperion release of Stanford's preludes for piano (both sets). I have already pre-ordered the recording through Presto Classical.

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Hyperion/CDA68183


----------



## TxllxT




----------



## TxllxT




----------



## TxllxT




----------



## TxllxT




----------



## TxllxT




----------



## christomacin

The haunting song "The Blue Bird" is one of my Stanford favorite pieces:


----------



## christomacin

This Clarinet Concerto in A-minor, Op.80 is another Stanford standout:


----------



## steph01

His most famous piece of church music is probably the Magnificat in G, probably due to its opening treble solo it often gets chosen for choir reunions and chorister parent services etc..


----------

