John Stainer
John Stainer (
June 6,
1840 -
March 31,
1901) was an
English composer and
organist. Born in
Southwark, he sang as a boy in the
choir of
St Paul's Cathedral, afterwards becoming organist successively of St Michael's College, Tenbury,
Magdalen College,
Oxford and finally, in
1872,
St Paul's. 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.
Bibliography
- Peter Charlton - John Stainer and the musical life of Victorian Britain (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1981)
External link
St. Cross Church, Oxford: Sir John Stainer, Composer, Organist & Musicologist