Charles Stanford

Charles Stanford

Source: Hyperion

Born on 30 September 1852 in Dublin, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford is the first Irish composer to see these histories and is squarely representative of the Victorian Era in the United Kingdom. Excluding all works prior to 1875 from his catalogue, Stanford had written seven symphonies, nine operas, eleven concertos, 28 chamber works, 40 choral works and a few Masses in addition to incidental music, pieces for piano and organ as well as songs. Stanford was a conservative Anglican.

Stanford, whose father was a prominent lawyer, was composing by age eight, a march in D flat appearing in September 1860, performed at the Royal Theatre in Dublin three years later, eventually published in an 1898 issue of 'Musical Times' [Dibble]. Entering into the Royal Academy of Music at age ten, he later attended a couple of colleges while continuing to compose before entering Cambridge in 1870. Becoming a member of the Cambridge University Musical Society (CUMS) that year.

Stanford was instrumental to gaining the admittance of women by creating a vocal guild in 1872 that included females, putting the CUMS choir, without them, to task. Finally recognizing that not a few compositions did indeed call for women in a chorus, those in Stanford's Amateur Vocal Guild were admitted to the CUMS as associates and the two choirs were combined.

Stanford's Opus 1 is assigned to '8 Songs from The Spanish Gypsy' from the recent prose-poem by George Eliot. Stanford likely composed these songs from 1872 to 1875, published in portions beginning in 1873, first performed in 1877. Stanford's 'Symphony No.1' in B flat major is a WoO (Without Opus) composed in 1876 toward its first performance on 8 March 1879 at the Crystal Palace. It was neither performed again nor published in Stanford's lifetime. Charles had written this symphony for a competition presented by the Alexandra Palace. Out of 46 competitors Stanford was rewarded with five pounds at second place, equivalent to £794 today [Webster].

'Blue Wings' from '8 Songs from The Spanish Gypsy'   No.1 of 8 of Op 1

Song by Sir Charles Stanford

Composition 1872-75   Premiere 1877

Text: George Eliot 1868

Piano: Helmut Deutsch   Mezzo-soprano: Stella Grigorian

Hyperion

'The Radiant Dark' from '8 Songs from The Spanish Gypsy'   No.8 of 8 of Op 1

Song by Sir Charles Stanford

Composition 1872-75   Premiere 1877

Text: George Eliot 1868

Piano: Helmut Deutsch   Mezzo-soprano: Stella Grigorian

Hyperion

'Symphony No.1'   WoO   B-flat major  Song by Sir Charles Stanford

Composition 1876   Premiere 8 March 1879 at the Crystal Palace   Review

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra   David Lloyd-Jones

Land of Lost Content   Wikipedia

Stanford's Op 10 was his Anglican 'Service' for Morning (starting with 'Te Deum'). Communion and Evening were first performed in 1879. Initially authored for choir and organ, it was reworked in 1903 for choir and orchestra. Come 'The Veiled Prophet', an opera WoO first performed auf Deutsch at the Hoftheatre in Hanover, Germany, on 6 February 1881 with libretto by William Barclay Squire based on Thomas Moore's 'Lalla Rookh' of 1817. Its single performance in the UK was given in Italian at the Royal Opera House in London in 1893. The prophet in this work is a Persian named McKanna who is so ugly that he must hide his visage. McKanna's enemy is Caliph Mahadi against whom he desires a warrior named Azim to lead in battle. Problem is, Azim is in love with Zelika with whom he'd prefer to flee McKanna's palace altogether.

'Te Deum' from 'Morning, Communion and Evening Service'   Op 10

Church setting by Sir Charles Stanford

Composition choir and organ: 1879   Choir and orchestra: 1903

Premiere of 'Te Deum' 25 May 1879 at Trinity College Chapel in Cambridge

Text: Speculative / 4th century

Organ: Geraint Bowen

Hereford Cathedral Choir   Roy Massey

IMSLP   Wikipedia

Overture to 'The Veiled Prophet of Khorassan'   WoO   Sir Charles Stanford

Premiere 6 Feb 1881 at the Hoftheatre in Hanover, Germany

Libretto: William Barclay Squire

National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland   Colman Pearce   1997

Boosey   IMSLP   Opera Wire   Wikipedia

Stanford's 'Symphony No.2' ('Elegiac') in D minor is another WoO that saw performance in 1882 but wasn't published until 1921. Stanford became a founding professor at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in 1883. From 1885 to 1902 he conducted the Bach Choir in London. 'Symphony No.3' ('The Irish') in F minor Op 28 saw conducting by Hans Richter at St. James Hall in London on 27 June 1887. Stanford began teaching at Cambridge later that year, succeeding George Alexander Macfarren upon the latter's death in October.

'Symphony No.2'   WoO   D minor   Sir Charles Stanford

Premiere 1882

Ulster Orchestra   Vernon Handley

Classical Source

'The Lord is My Shepherd'   WoO   Anthem by Sir Charles Stanford

1886

Magdalen College Choir Oxford   John Harper

Hyperion   Score

'Symphony No.3'   Op 28   F minor   Sir Charles Stanford

Premiere conducted by Hans Richter 27 June 1887 at St. James Hall in London

Ulster Orchestra   Vernon Handley

American Symphony Orchestra   IMSLP   Land of Lost Content   Wikipedia

'Symphony No.4   Op 31   F major   Sir Charles Stanford

Premiere conducted by Stanford 14 Jan 1889 in Berlin

Ulster Orchestra   Vernon Handley

Classical Source   IMSLP   Wikipedia

'Symphony No.5   Op 56   D major   Sir Charles Stanford

1894   Premiere 1895

Ulster Orchestra   Vernon Handley

In 1898 Stanford composed another setting for 'Te Deum', that Op 66 in B flat major toward publishing the next year in 1998 by Boosey in London and Breitkopf und Härtel in Leipzig. Stanford's seventh opera, 'Much Ado About Nothing' Op 76a, saw conducting by Luigi Mancinelli at the Royal Opera House on 30 May 1901. That was with libretto by Julian Sturgis after Shakespeare's eponymous play of 1600.

'Te Deum laudamus' from 'Te Deum'   No,1 of 6 of Op 66   Church setting by Sir Charles Stanford

1897   Published 1898

Text: Speculative / 4th century

Zürich Camerata Cantabile Orchester   Stephan Fuchs Fraumünster   2023

IMSLP   MusicWeb International   Score

'Tell me, who told you so?' from 'Much Ado About Nothing'   Op 76a

Opera by Sir Charles Stanford

Premiere conducted by Luigi Mancinelli on 30 May 1901 at the Royal Opera House in London

Libretto: Julian Sturgis after William Shakespeare

Soprano: Daire Halpin   Baritone: Wolfgang Resch

European Union Youth Orchestra   Laurent Pillot   London   2013

Boosey   IMSLP   Wikipedia