Musicians - John Stainer

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	Musicians - John Stainer

Sir John Stainer (6 June 1840–31 March 1901) was an English composer and organist. Born in Southwark, he sang as a boy in the choir of St Paul's Cathedral and at the age of 16 was appointed by Sir Frederick Ouseley to the post of organist at the newly founded St. Michael's College, Tenbury. In 1860 he became organist at Magdalen College, Oxford, moving to St Paul's Cathedral in 1872. His work as choir trainer and organist set standards for Anglican church music which are still influential today. He was also active as an academic, becoming professor of music at Oxford University in 1889 and conducting pioneering research into early music. As a composer he produced a large amount of sacred music of varying quality, including the cantata The Crucifixion, the Sevenfold Amen, and numerous hymn tunes.

The Crucifixion was for many years one of several Passion cantatas performed in English churches during Holy Week (another example is J. H. Maunder's Olivet to Calvary), and it survives in the repertory of many choirs despite widespread critical derision. Stainer also made a lasting contribution to the music of Christmas in his Christmas Carols New and Old (1871), produced in collaboration with the Reverend H. R. Bramley, which marked an important stage in the revival of the Christmas carol. The book includes Stainer's arrangements of what were to become the standard versions of "What Child is This", "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen", "Good King Wenceslas", "The First Nowell", and "I Saw Three Ships", among others.

Bibliography

Peter Charlton - John Stainer and the musical life of Victorian Britain (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1981)
H. R. Bramley (ed. words) J. Stainer (ed. music) Christmas Carols, New and Old (London, Novello, 1871)
The Oxford Book of Carols (Oxford University Press, 1928), pp. xvi-xvii.

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