Sir Charles Villiers Stanford

British Composer and Teacher of the Late Victorian Era

May 30, 2008 Tel Asiado

Biography of Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, British composer with enormous influence as music professor.

A highly influential academician of his time, Charles Villiers Stanford, British composer, conductor, and organist, is considered a leading figure in the 19th century British music.

His significance in the British history of music lies in the achievements of his prominent pupils, among them, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Arthur Bliss, Frank Bridge, Gustav Holst and John Ireland.

Early Years of Villiers Stanford

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford was born in Dublin, Ireland on September 30, 1852, the son of a lawyer. Initially, Stanford was intended for law but eventually, was permitted to study music by his amateur musician father. When he was eighteen years old, he entered Queens' College, Cambridge, as a choral scholar, and was appointed organist of Trinity College three years later. He graduated the following year, and spent two more years of further studies abroad.

Music Professor Villiers Stanford

From 1883, he taught at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London. He was a contemporary of Sir Hubert Parry, both of them professors of enormous influence at the Royal College of Music. He was also elected professor of music at Cambridge in 1887. A demanding and highly influential teacher, he equally demanded much of himself in living up to a great tradition, though the weight of academic responsibility could be traced back to his Irish heritage of folksong and mysticism, and by his keen feeling for the English words.

Villier Stanford the Conductor

After 1901, Villiers Stanford conducted in several Leeds festivals. He was much influenced by Johannes Brahms who he greatly admired, and notably, his best compositions were evident in his operas, choral music and songs rather than chamber music and orchestra.

Villier Stanford's Musical Compositions

His works include some ten operas including Shamus O’Brien, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Travelling Companion, given posthumously in 1926, a quantity of choral music and songs particularly The Blue Bird, seven symphonies and other orchestral scores like Clarinet Concerto, and a series of Irish Rhapsodies, eight string quartets, and organ and piano music.

Legacy and Recognition of Villier Stanford

Sir Charles Villiers Stanford received many honours, including honorary degrees. He was knighted in 1901. He died on March 29, 1924, in London.

Charles V. Stanford's Operas

• The Veiled Prophet, 1881
• Canterbury Pilgrims, 1884
• Savonarola, 1884
• Shamus O'Brien, 1896
• Much Ado About Nothing, 1901
• The Critic, 1916
• The Travelling Companion, 1925 (posthumously performed)

Sources:

Dictionary of Composers and their Music, by Eric Gilder, Sphere Reference Books, 1987

The Encyclopedia of Music by Max Wade-Matthews & Wendy Thompson, Hermes House, 2002

The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan, 1994

The Oxford Dictionary of Music, Revised Edition, edited by Michael Kennedy, Oxford, 1994

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Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, Composer & Teacher