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John Stainer
Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of The Crucifixion, still heard at Passiontide in some Anglican churches), was very popular during his lifetime. His work as choir trainer and organist set standards for Anglican church music that are still influential. He was also active as an academic, becoming Heather Professor of Music at Oxford.
Stainer was born in Southwark, London, in 1840, the son of a schoolmaster. He became a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral when aged ten and was appointed to the position of organist at St Michael's College, Tenbury, at the age of sixteen. He later became organist at Magdalen College, Oxford, and subsequently organist at St Paul's Cathedral. When he retired owing to his poor eyesight and deteriorating health, he returned to Oxford to become Professor of Music at the university. He died unexpectedly while on holiday in Italy in 1901.
John Stainer was the eighth of nine children born to William Stainer and his wife Ann (née Collier) on 6 June 1840. At least three of the children died in infancy, and John was much younger than his brother, William, and his three sisters, Ann, Sarah, and Mary. The family lived in Southwark, London, where his father joined his brother in his cabinet making business, later becoming a vestry clerk and registrar of births, and a parish schoolmaster. He was also an untaught musician and player of the piano, violin, and flute. He built a small chamber organ at home on which the precocious John used to accompany him when he played hymn tunes on the violin. His sister Ann also used it – she was the regular organist at Magdalen Hospital, Streatham. It was a happy family, and young John seems to have been spoiled by his elders. He could play Bach's Fugue in E major at the age of seven.
In 1849, after a year's probation, young Stainer became a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He was already an accomplished player on keyboard instruments and possessed perfect pitch and a fine treble voice, and soon became the choir's principal soloist.
In 1854, he was invited to sing in the first English performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion under William Sterndale Bennett at the Hanover Square Rooms. He travelled each day between his home in Streatham and the cathedral by steamboat. The choristers were required to sing for services at 9:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. In between these times, the choristers were instructed in Latin, arithmetic, writing and other subjects, and Stainer probably received a much better education there than he would have done had he been educated at the local elementary school. A house in the cathedral's present choir school has since been named after him. He received organ lessons at St Sepulchre's Church, Holborn from George Cooper, assistant organist at St Paul's Cathedral under John Goss. At this time, he might have met future composer Arthur Sullivan, his junior by two years. Certainly, the two young men later became friends and undertook activities together on half-holidays.
In 1855, he was offered a six-month contract as organist at St Benet's, Paul's Wharf. He proved successful, and his contract was renewed several times for further six-month terms. As he was still a minor, his salary of £30 per year was paid to his father. During this period, he sometimes deputised for the regular organists, Goss and Cooper, at services in St Paul's Cathedral.
At the age of sixteen, Stainer was appointed by Sir Frederick Ouseley to the post of organist at the newly founded St Michael's College, Tenbury. Ouseley was Heather Professor of Music at Oxford University and had recently become vicar of St Michael's College on the outskirts of Tenbury Wells, a choir school with a church that he had founded and endowed and which was intended to serve as a model for Anglican church music. Although Stainer was not much older than the choristers were, Stainer was put in charge of them. One of his duties was to give piano lessons to the boys for two hours a day.
Ouseley was an antiquarian and had an extensive library. He was very interested in the history of music and acted as Stainer's mentor. Under his guidance, Stainer became the youngest ever successful candidate for the Bachelor of Music degree at Oxford. For this, Stainer wrote a cantata, Praise the Lord, O my soul, with text from Psalm 103. Its traditional style was designed to appeal to the examining board and sounds stilted when set against his later works. About this time, he wrote several anthems, the most successful of which was I saw the Lord, a bolder and more original work in a more contemporary idiom.
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John Stainer
Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840 – 31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist whose music, though seldom performed today (with the exception of The Crucifixion, still heard at Passiontide in some Anglican churches), was very popular during his lifetime. His work as choir trainer and organist set standards for Anglican church music that are still influential. He was also active as an academic, becoming Heather Professor of Music at Oxford.
Stainer was born in Southwark, London, in 1840, the son of a schoolmaster. He became a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral when aged ten and was appointed to the position of organist at St Michael's College, Tenbury, at the age of sixteen. He later became organist at Magdalen College, Oxford, and subsequently organist at St Paul's Cathedral. When he retired owing to his poor eyesight and deteriorating health, he returned to Oxford to become Professor of Music at the university. He died unexpectedly while on holiday in Italy in 1901.
John Stainer was the eighth of nine children born to William Stainer and his wife Ann (née Collier) on 6 June 1840. At least three of the children died in infancy, and John was much younger than his brother, William, and his three sisters, Ann, Sarah, and Mary. The family lived in Southwark, London, where his father joined his brother in his cabinet making business, later becoming a vestry clerk and registrar of births, and a parish schoolmaster. He was also an untaught musician and player of the piano, violin, and flute. He built a small chamber organ at home on which the precocious John used to accompany him when he played hymn tunes on the violin. His sister Ann also used it – she was the regular organist at Magdalen Hospital, Streatham. It was a happy family, and young John seems to have been spoiled by his elders. He could play Bach's Fugue in E major at the age of seven.
In 1849, after a year's probation, young Stainer became a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. He was already an accomplished player on keyboard instruments and possessed perfect pitch and a fine treble voice, and soon became the choir's principal soloist.
In 1854, he was invited to sing in the first English performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion under William Sterndale Bennett at the Hanover Square Rooms. He travelled each day between his home in Streatham and the cathedral by steamboat. The choristers were required to sing for services at 9:30 a.m. and 3:15 p.m. In between these times, the choristers were instructed in Latin, arithmetic, writing and other subjects, and Stainer probably received a much better education there than he would have done had he been educated at the local elementary school. A house in the cathedral's present choir school has since been named after him. He received organ lessons at St Sepulchre's Church, Holborn from George Cooper, assistant organist at St Paul's Cathedral under John Goss. At this time, he might have met future composer Arthur Sullivan, his junior by two years. Certainly, the two young men later became friends and undertook activities together on half-holidays.
In 1855, he was offered a six-month contract as organist at St Benet's, Paul's Wharf. He proved successful, and his contract was renewed several times for further six-month terms. As he was still a minor, his salary of £30 per year was paid to his father. During this period, he sometimes deputised for the regular organists, Goss and Cooper, at services in St Paul's Cathedral.
At the age of sixteen, Stainer was appointed by Sir Frederick Ouseley to the post of organist at the newly founded St Michael's College, Tenbury. Ouseley was Heather Professor of Music at Oxford University and had recently become vicar of St Michael's College on the outskirts of Tenbury Wells, a choir school with a church that he had founded and endowed and which was intended to serve as a model for Anglican church music. Although Stainer was not much older than the choristers were, Stainer was put in charge of them. One of his duties was to give piano lessons to the boys for two hours a day.
Ouseley was an antiquarian and had an extensive library. He was very interested in the history of music and acted as Stainer's mentor. Under his guidance, Stainer became the youngest ever successful candidate for the Bachelor of Music degree at Oxford. For this, Stainer wrote a cantata, Praise the Lord, O my soul, with text from Psalm 103. Its traditional style was designed to appeal to the examining board and sounds stilted when set against his later works. About this time, he wrote several anthems, the most successful of which was I saw the Lord, a bolder and more original work in a more contemporary idiom.