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He was the son of a parish schoolmaster. He was a chorister of St Paul's Cathedral 1848-56, and studied the organ with George Cooper. At the age of 14 he became organist at St Benet's, Paul's Wharf, London EC4. Sir Frederick Ouseley was so impressed by his deputizing at St Paul's Cathedral that he invited Stainer to be organist at St Michael's College, Tenbury 1857-59. He was then organist of Magdalen College Oxford 1860-72; organist to the University 1861-72; and organist of St Paul's Cathedral 1872-88, where he raised the standards, particularly of choral singing, to a high level.
On resigning from St Paul's because of failing eyesight, he was knighted; he then became Professor of Music at Oxford 1889-99. Among other appointments, he was conductor of the Royal Choral Society 1873-88; chief inspector of music for the Board of Education 1883-1901; Professor of Organ (1875-82) and Principal (1881-82) of the National Training College of Music (now the RCM).
He wrote much church music, including over 150 hymn tunes; and composed cantatas, notably The Crucifixion 1887. He did musical research, especially on fifteenth-century music; wrote The Music of the Bible 1879; edited the music of The Church Hymnary 1898 and The Church Chant Book 1891; and was joint-editor (with H.R.Bramley) of Christmas Carols New and Old 1871. He died while on a visit to Italy.
(See also DNB; GDM; OCM)
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His father was a lawyer and a talented amateur musician. The boy early showed great musical ability, a march which he wrote at the age of eight being performed a couple of years later at the Theatre Royal, Dublin. He studied composition and orchestration with R.P.Stewart, and in 1870 went as choral scholar to Queen's College Cambridge, where he read classics. He was organist of Trinity College Cambridge from 1873-92. During the years 1874-76 he had periods of study in Germany.
He helped to found the Cambridge University Musical Society, directing it from 1872-93, during which time it gave many noteworthy first British performances. He was Professor of composition and orchestral playing at the Royal College of Music 1883-1924; Professor of Music at Cambridge 1887-1924; conducted the Bach Choir 1885-1902 and the Leeds Festival 1901-10; and had several engagements abroad.
He greatly helped the revival of interest in folk-music, particularly Irish, and was a gifted teacher. He wrote Musical Composition 1911, and was co-author of A History of Music 1916. His many compositions include operas, orchestral music, songs, choral, church and organ music. He was knighted in 1902.
His ashes are buried next to Purcell in the north choir aisle of Westminster Abbey.
(See also DNB; GDM; OCM)
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From the age of 20 he was leader of the singing at Carrs Lane Chapel, Birmingham, making it famous for its music. In 1818 he moved with the congregation to the Ebenezer Chapel, Steelhouse Lane, serving in all for nearly 34 years. He performed as a cellist in various Midland towns from 1790, at Vauxhall Gardens London, and with the Birmingham Theatre Orchestra and the Festival Choral Society. For a time he also kept the Crown Tavern, Great Charles Street.
He published three sets of psalm and hymn tunes, mostly of his own composition.
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He was a chorister of Salisbury Cathedral; and was then educated at Lancing College, and at Merton College Oxford where he was organ scholar 1909-13. He was Director of Music at St Edward's School, Oxford 1915-24; Wellington College 1924-37; Reading University 1927-37; the Midland Region of the BBC 1937-45; and Professor of Music at Bristol University 1947-58.
His compositions were mostly choral music; but he wrote nearly fifty hymn tunes, many for the Wellington College Hymn Book 1937 (some pseudonymously), and for the BBC Hymn Book 1951 of which he was editor-in-chief.
(See also OCM)
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He studied under Sterndale Bennett at the Royal Academy of Music, and was Professor of organ and harmony there from 1851-1903. As organist he served Christ Chapel, Maida Hill 1848-55; Christ Church, Lancaster Gate 1855-64; and Lincoln's Inn Chapel 1864-1905. He was secretary of the Bach Society 1849-70; and a founder of the Royal College of Organists (1864).
He wrote anthems and other church music, and had a lifelong interest in hymnody, publishing his first collection of hymn tunes while still a student. He was music editor of the 1904 edition of Hymns Ancient and Modern.
(See also DNB; OCM)
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She was educated at Varndean School for Girls, Brighton, and at St Hugh's and Mansfield Colleges, Oxford. She was ordained a URC minister in 1972, serving churches at Blackheath 1972-24; Charlton, SE London 1972-83; and the Mid-Somerset group 1983- .
She was a member of the editorial and music committees for Rejoice and Sing.
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Having been organist at All Saints' Church, Almondbury, Huddersfield 1893-1901, he studied with C.H.H.Parry and was music master at St Edward's School Oxford 1902-12, and Director of Music at Repton School 1912-34. The Repton School Hymns for Use in Chapel 1924 (a supplement to A&M) contains many of his tunes and arrangements.
He was an examiner for the London College of Music 1934-50; and then retired to Croydon.
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(See also Julian pp.1095-96)
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He was the son of an army bandmaster, and was a chorister at the Chapel Royal 1854-57. He was the first holder of the Mendelssohn Scholarship, first at the Royal Academy of Music 1856-58 and then in Leipzig 1858-61. He was organist of St Michael's, Chester Square, London 1861-67; and of St Peter's, Cranley Gardens, South Kensington 1867-72. He engaged in teaching, and was Principal of the National Training School for Music (forerunner of the Royal College of Music) 1876-81; and had several appointments as a conductor. In 1866 he and his friend Sir George Grove spent several months in Leipzig discovering Schubert manuscripts; and the close study of Schubert's work probably influenced him greatly.
In 1967 the success of his first operetta Cox and Box turned his attention to the theatre, where he achieved lasting fame as the partner of W.S.Gilbert. He wrote many songs, other (serious) operas and much orchestral, choral and church music. Most of his 56 hymn tunes were written between 1867 and 1874, and he was music editor of Church Hymns 1874. He was knighted in 1883.
He is buried in St Paul's Cathedral.
(See also DNB; GDM; OCM)
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His parents were Russians who had fled the Revolution. He was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford; and saw war service with the Friends Ambulance Unit in Greece and the Middle East.
He was best known as a pianist and light entertainer, especially with Michael Flanders with whom he did a long-running series of stage revues entitled `At the drop of a Hat', and for which he wrote all of the music and much of the lyrics, accompanying himself and his partner in vocal duets. Their best-known song `Mud, mud, glorious mud' has become a classic of its genre.
He wrote a number of more serious songs, however, including several drawn from Greek folk sources or on Greek themes, being himself fluent in spoken Greek. He also wrote an opera "Perelandra" (1964), in addition to the musical "Song of Caedmon" from which the hymn in RS is taken.
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Charles Kingsley's semi-historical novel Hypatia, which describes scenes in and around Alexandria at the beginning of the 5th century, makes a number of indirect references to Synesius, though the Bishop of Cyrene figures only in one scene, remote from the activities of Hypatia and her circle. One paragraph, however, includes a brief description (chapter 21):
" . . . The Bishop of Cyrene, to judge from the charming private letters which he has left, was one of those many-sided, volatile, restless men, who taste joy and sorrow, if not deeply or permanently, yet abundantly and passionately. He lived, as Raphael had told Orestes, in a whirlwind of good deeds, meddling and toiling for the mere pleasure of action; and as soon as there was nothing to be done, which, till lately, had happened seldom enough with him, paid the penalty for past excitement in fits of melancholy.A man of magniloquent and flowery style, not without a vein of self-conceit; yet withal of overflowing kindliness, racy humour, and unflinching courage, both physical and moral; with a very clear practical faculty, and a very muddy speculative one -- though, of course, like the rest of the world, he was especially proud of his own weakest side, and professed the most passionate affection for philosphic meditation; while his detractors hinted, not without a show of reason, that he was far more adept in soldiering and dog-breaking than in the mysteries of the unseen world."
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(The Rejoice & Sing Enchiridion:edited by David Goodall; last amended 15/5/03)