SIR CHARLES STANFORD
[Frontisf>i<.c
Sir Charles V. Stanford
Mus. Doc, M.A.,
D.C.L.BY
JOHN F. PORTE
Author of
SirEdward Elgar, MacDoweU, etc.
WITH A PORTRAIT OF SIR CHAS. STANFORD AND
MUSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT
'
>t *> j j i
LONDON
:KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRUBNER &
Co. Ltd.New York
: E. P.DUTTON AND
CO.1921
ERNST EULENBERG
LEIPZIG
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and
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in
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41473G
CONTENTS
PAGE
The Claim of His Genius
iA Sketch of His Career ....
7His Works
13Index to Works 147
was
the unconscious but inexorable emotion whichwe
British call " waterdown
the spine."Music
sprangfrom
two essential elements,Rhythm and
Melody.Many
could concoct a sounding score, butfew
could createa good melody.If modulations are too rapid it is impossible for the ear to
differentiate
and
give each its true value.The
ear wants time to appreciate sound to-day just as itdid in Beethoven's days.
Music
might be compli- cated, but the ear remained what it was,and
whatwas
the use of
music
that overtaxed receptivity ?Charles
V.Stanford.
SIR CHARLES STANFORD
THE CLAIM OF HIS GENIUS
Stanford
has alwaysbeen
quite correctly, but not always discriminately, regarded in popularjudgment
as beingone
of thegroup
of later nineteenth century British composers, often referred to as the "Parry Group." These men
includedAlexander
Mackenzie,0.
Hubert H.
Parry, FredericH. Cowen,
G. Villiers Stanford,and
others,and composed much music
thatis
undoubtedly
often littlemore than
academical in outlook as well as in construction.They
arenow
rather hastily
dubbed
asmusty
conventional,and
their
music
isseldom
in generaldemand by
themusical public.
The
"Parry Group,"
however, will alwaysremain
outstanding figures in the Renaissance period of British music.They
accomplishedmonumental
pioneer
work
in the face of ignorance, prejudiceand
indifference.
Few
people of their time believed in Britishmusic
as being ofany
value,and
not without reason, for therewas
little brought forward thatwas
not second-rateGerman
classicism in spirit.The
I
Sir Charles Stanford
great
days
ofHenry
Purcell, Byrd,Blow, Gibbons and
othershad been
forgotten during the couple of centuries of Teutonicinfluence.There
isno doubt
that the "Parry Group
" per-formed
valuablespade work
thatwas
toopen
theway
for their greater successors of the
Modern
school of British composers. Their pioneerwork was
consoli-dated by
theappearance
of a greatcontemporary, but one whose
individualityand
refusal tobe
con~ventional
when
the latter limited his musical self- expression, preventshim from
being regarded asone
of the "Parry Group."
This self-madeand
lone geniuswas Edward
Elgar,whose
lifeand works we have
discussed in anotherbook
in this library.The
case of Stanford is not exactly ahappy
one.He
isundoubtedly one
of the"
Parry Group
"and
his earlywork
iswrapt
in their idiom. Unlike Elgar, Stanfordwas brought up
in academical surroundings.He was
aknown
prodigy-pianistand
child-composer.His
parentswere
wellconnectedand were
inaposition to carry his education to a University finishand
seehim win
a Classical scholarshipand M.A.
degree.Elgar was,
on
the other hand, left for themost
part to hisown
devices.What music
he learnedwas
pickedup by
observation,and
long, laborious study.Recognition
came
atlong last to be almost invariably in the ascendant.Stanford's career
was
brilliant at first,and
hewas
famous
before Elgarwas
generallyknown
to exist;His Genius
but afterwards he tasted deeply the bitterness oflack of recognition that British
composers
ofserious intenthave
alwaysmore
orlesssuffered from.The
creative spirit ofStanfordinitsmaturity hasmuch
thatisakin to Elgar.There
is thesame
loftiness of purpose, thedeep
sense of the beautiful, the desire for self-expres- sion, the aspect of strength of characterand
the peculiar tenacityand
patience of true genius.The
cause ofthe lack ofpublic recognitionaccorded to Stanford,and even
to Elgar, is not somuch
the fault of the public themselves as that of the musical conductors,who do
not play the composers' greater works.The
publiccannot
very well acclaim a thing they are never given the opportunity tobe
familiar with;whereas on
the occasionswhen
theimportant works do happen
tobe played, they demonstratetheir approval inno
uncertainand
indiscreetmanner.
There
isno
legitimate excuse that theworks
are not wanted, forwe have
seenboth
Stanfordand
Elgar cheered to the echo after performances of their greater works,both symphonic and
choral.It
cannot be emphasised
too strongly that Stan- ford's association with the "Parry
Group
" has eventuallybecome
a misfortune forhim
in the fact that it is really the chief cause of the lack ofcontem-
porary recognition for him.When we speak
ofrecognition,
we mean
the practical kindand
notmerely
thatwhich acknowledges
aman,
but never troubles to study ormake known
his works.The
genius of Stanford is of theunmistakable
variety. It isadmitted by
all musicians tobe
ofa remarkable
versatile quality,and
often evincesan
expressivepower
in the largerworks
that carries itsworth
to that of really great music.While
thecom-
poser's earlier period savourssomewhat
of acade- micism,we
see time after time flashes of genius thatlift
him above
the stodginess of that type ofmusic making.
Considering theatmosphere
inwhich
theywere
written,some
of the earlierworks
of Stanford areremarkably
freshand
individual,and some
of our musical scholars, surprising themselves in discovering the fact,have
latelybegun
to look at the venerablecomposer
withwide-open
eyes.The most remarkably
individualand
fresh of Stan- ford's earlyworks
are his choral work, the Revenge (Op. 24), 1886, the thirdsymphony,
Irish (Op. 28), 1887,and
the fifthsymphony, U
Allegro ed ilPen-
sieroso (Op. 56), 1894.
The
firsttwo works
areeven now among
the finestand most
popular of thecom-
poser's works, although those of his
mature
period aregranderand
greater.The
fifthsymphony was
notpublished until a quarter of
a
century after itscom-
position,
and
then onlyasa prizework
ofthe CarnegieUnited Kingdom
Trust.An
early choralwork
thatis still
famous and
often played should alsobe men-
tioned— The
Battle ofthe Baltic (Op. 41), 1891.In his later works, Stanford's individuality asserts itselfindisputably.
The
assertion thathe
is onlyone
of a
group becomes
a fallacy, basedupon
imperfect acquaintance with his work.What
connection withany group
ofcomposers have
the stirring expressions ofthe Jfish Rhapsodies, the bold,outdoor vigourofthe Songs of theSea and
Songs ofthe Fleet, the brilliantand
masterly individuality of the Eroica, Britannicaand
Celtica organ sonatas, thepower
of the Second Pianoforte Concerto, the noble expressions of theIn Memoriam
Trio (No. 3), theprofound beauty
ofMerlin and
the Gleam, the heartfeltand haunting
expressiveness of the Irish song cycles, or the wealth of contrasting beauty,
charm and
strength of the Twenty-four Preludesfor Pianoforte?In all these it is the true genius of individualism that is predominant.
They
areunmistakably
Stan- fordian,incomparable
inexpressivemelodieswhen
the Irish idiom is used, inimitably boldand
invigoratingwhen
the seaatmosphere
is the chief aspect, at alltimes
showing
the real fire of inspiration,and
often reaching the very height of musical expression.In his finerworks, Stanford theacademician is non- existent as far as the spirit of the
music
is concerned.The
old influence of the "Parry Group
"and
ofGam-
bridge University has disappeared,and we
see, in all consciousness ofwhat
itmay
imply, the master of his artand
the true genius of pure musical outlookand
peerless individuality
—
Stanford the composer,who
will
rank
highamong
the great musicians of his day.As
a last paragraph, it shouldbe
recorded thatSir Charles Stanford
Stanford, like Elgar, did very little to
advance
the constructionand
outlook of Music. Their claim tobe
considered as greatcomposers
lies in the all- powerful fact thatthey
possessed musical genius as well as technicalmastery —
souls as well as brains,and
these are the inseparable qualities thatcount
for thefame
that endures,whether
thecomposer
beclassicist or futurist.
A SKETCH OF HIS CAREER
Charles Villiers Stanford was born
at 2, Herbert Street, Dublin, Ireland,on September
30th, 1852.His ancestors
were
distinguished in civil professions, particularly that of the law. His father,John
Stan-ford,
was Examiner
to the Court ofChancery
in Ireland,and
a cultivated musicalamateur whose
houseentertainedmany
distinguishedmusiciansofthe time,when
they visited Dublin.He had
a very fine bassvoice,which he
usedinoratoriowork,etc.,and
he also played the violoncello.The
composer's mother,Mary, was
also acultivated musical amateur,and had even
played thesolo partof Mendelssohn's Pianoforte ConcertoNo.
1, inG
minor,at a
Dublin
MusicalUnion
concert.She was
the daughter ofWilliam Henn,
Master in Chancery."
Charlie "
Stanford, as the
composer was
called as a boy,was an
only son.He was
given agood
general education,but
atan
early age heshowed
signsofbeing a musicalgenius.
When
hewas
eightyearsof age (i860)he had composed
a March,which was
7
Sir Charles Stanford
performed
at the ensuingpantomime
of the Theatre Royal, Dublin. Thismarch was termed Opus
I, in the boy's sketch book,but
later he correctlynum-
bered it only as
one
of his early attemptsand
not asone
of his authorised list ofcompositions.
Other
boyishworks
includedtwo
operas, or" rotten operas," astheircomposer
called them,and
a baritone soloand
chorusfrom one
ofthem was performed
at a concert of the University ofDublin
Musical Society in 1867,when
Stanfordwas
fifteen years of age.At
eight years of age,
young
" Charlie"met Joachim,
the great violinistand
guest ofJohn
Stanford,and
cried at the sight of the
man who was
tobecome
his friendand
bring out the Suite in D, for Violinand
Orchestra (Op. 32),about
thirty years afterwards.Young
Stanford's musical lessons included violinplaying, pianoforte playing, organ playing
and com-
position.
A remarkable
record of his reputation asa
prodigy pianist is the fact thathe gave
a private pianoforterecital at his father's housewhen
only nineyears old, playing pieces
by Beethoven,
Handel, Mendelssohn, Moscheles, Mozart,and
Bach.Two
years later
he gave
another recital athome which
excited the admiration of thenewspaper
criticswho were
present.The program
included Beethoven's Sonata in minor,Op.
10,No.
1, aBach
Preludeand Fugue
inC
minor,La
Gaieti,Weber,
a song of hisown
composition,
and
a Trio for pianoforte, violinand
violoncello, in
G
major,by Haydn.
A Sketch of His Career 9
In 1862, the
young
geniuscame
toLondon, where
hefurtherstudied compositionand
pianoforte playing, the latterunder
Ernst Pauer, thefamous
editorand
pianoforte arranger of Beethoven's works. In
1864 he met
Sullivanand George
Grove,and
in 1870 hisCambridge
periodbegan
with hiswinning an Organ
Scholarship,and
later a Classical one, at Queen's College. In 1873he
transferred to Trinity College as organist,and
in 1874 obtained his degree of Bachelor ofArts. Laterhe became
a Masterof Arts.An important
event took placeon November
30th,1870,
when he
playedsome
pianoforte soli for theCambridge
University Musical Society.He was
afterwards to exerciseagreat influence overthis body,and
anumber
of the largerworks
of hisCambridge
periodwere produced by
itunder
his direction.Stanford
had founded
theCambridge Amateur
Vocal Guildinordertointroduceladiesinto the chorus,and
his first innovation as conductor of the longer established University Musical Societywas
to intro-duce
ladies into its chorus,and under
thesenew
con- ditions a concertwas
givenon May
27th, 1873, with William Sterndale Bennett, the then Professor ofMusic
of the University, conducting hisMay
Queen.
Stanford
was
atCambridge
for twenty-three years,but
the classical universitywas
unable to offerhim
unlimitedfacilitiesforthe studyofmusic,and he went
to Leipzig to studyunder
Reinecke,and
to Berlin forSir Charles Stanford
lessons
from
Keil. Afterwards, in 1887,he became
Professor of
Music
of his University,and
in 1883 thesisterUniversityofOxford had made him
aDoctor
of Music.
By
this time his compositionshad become
import-ant,
and
already included a British prizesymphony
(No. 1, in
B
flat)and
choral works.In
1882, his secondsymphony,
the Elegiac,was produced
atGam-
bridge,
and
after this astream
of works, largeand
small, flowed
from
his pen, including furthersym-
phonies, concerti,
chamber
music, operas,church
music, choral works, songs,and
various instrumental solo pieces.The development
of Stanford's geniusmay be
tracedby
glancingthrough
the reviews of hisworks
in this book, as they are dealt with in order ofopus number,
giving a practically chronological review.Stanford
had
marriedJenny Wetton
in 1878,and
eventuallyhad
a sonand
a daughter.From
1885to 1902
he was conductor
of the English"
Bach
Choir."
From
1885 onwards, he hasbeen
Professor ofComposition and
Orchestral Playing at theRoyal
College of Music,London. He was
conductor of theLeeds
Philharmonic Societyand
Festival 1901-10.In 1902 he
was
knighted. Hisworks became world
famous,but
infrequently played,and he owes much,
like Elgar, to
German
musicians for bringing out his larger compositions.Among
his helpersand sym-
pathisers
were Brahms, Von
Biilowand
Richter. ItA Sketch of His Career
must be remembered,
too, thatmuch
of hismusic
hasfound sympathy and
recognition in theUnited
States of America. His residence in his laterdays
hasbeen
at9,Lower
BerkeleyStreet,Portman
Square,London, W.i.
B
HIS WORKS
The number
of Stanford'sworks amounts
roughly toabout
200, including seven symphonies,about
forty choral works, nine operas, eleven concerti, twenty- eightchamber
works, besidesalargenumber
of songs,large
and
small pianoforte pieces, incidental music,important
organ works, etc.The
reviewing in detail ofall theseworks would
requirean immense
volume,far
beyond
thelengthwe
areallowed to writeand
read in this library.As
Stanford isan
essentially classicalcomposer
with almost all of hisworks
constructedon
established forms however,ithasbeen
quitesufficient toreviewhisworks
ina generalstyle, pointing out the chief characteristicsand
merits or demerits of each.In certain cases
an
analytical outline hasbeen
givenfor aparticular work,
and
inone
ortwo
cases musical illustrationshave been
given, especially in that of the Twenty-four Preludesfor Pianoforte (Op. 163),which form
a unique opportunityforanyone who
isan
aver- age pianist to get into touch with the versatile13
Sir Charles Stanford
genius of a great
composer who
hasbeen
too long neglected in practical recognition.The works
are treated in order ofopus number and form
a fairly safe survey of Stanford's creativemusical development.An
alphabeticalindex willbe found
at theend
of this book,whereby any
special
work
the reader wishesto read about,but
onlyknows
its title,may be
found.The works
withoutopus number, and
they are few, are dealt with at theend
of those withopus numbers.
OPUS
i.EIGHT SONGS FROM
"THE SPANISH GYPSY" (GEORGE ELIOT).
First Appeared,
Autumn,
1877.Published
by
Novello,and
laterby
Ohappell.These
songs are well written, rather tuneful,and
obviously sincere.The
latterquality iscommendable when
it isremembered
that the shortestway
topopularity for the
young and
comparatively un-known composer
is to writecheap and
catchy songs.The opus
1 of a greatcomposer
isalways
historically interesting,and
Stanford'sexample
isan
indication of his lofty ambition to writemusic
that isalways
atleast pure
and
sincere.Opus
Three
of these eight"
George
Eliot"
songs are published
by
Novello,and
are :—
Blue Wings.
Day
is Dying.SiveetSpringtime.
The
other five are in the catalogue of Chappel], being :—
Spring
Comes
Hither.Same
a PrettyMaid.
The World
is Great.Bright, Bright Fedalma.
The
Radiant Dusk.OPUS
2.SUITE, FOR PIANOFORTE.
First Appeared, 1875.
Published
by
Ghappell.This suite iswritten in theolden style,
and
isfairly scholarlyand
tuneful. Itsnumbers
consist of:—
1. Courante.
2. Sarabande.
3. Gigue.
4. Gavotte.
Sir Charles Stanford OPUS
3.TOCCATA, FOR PIANOFORTE
First Appeared, 1875.
Published
by
Ghappell.The
Toccata for pianoforte (Op. 2) isan
effectiveand
rather sparkling work,and
although perhaps itsavours of the
German
school, it has just thattouch
of individuality that is typical of its composer.OPUS
4.SIX SONGS OF HEINE.
Published
by
Augener.These
songs are well written,with
acertainloftiness of outlook.They
are also fairly musicaland
dis-tinctive.
OPUS
5.CHORAL WORK,
"THE RESURREC- TION
"(KLOPSTOCK), FOR TENOR SOLO, CHORUS
(S.A.T.B.),ORCHESTRA, AND ORGAN
First Appeared, 1875.
Produced
by theCambridge
UniversityMusical
Society, under the Composer'sDirection.
Published
by
Ghappell in 1881.Thisratherambitiousearly choral
work
isinteresting asone
of the earlyattempts
of Stanford in aform
inOpus
which
he isnow
seen tohave been
very prolific in his creating genius.The
subject is treated with respect, being translated into Englishby
Miss G.Winkworth, and
themusic
is straightforward, rather academical, but lacking in general interest.The work
is one of the composer'sCambridge
period,and
it willbe noted that heemploys
female voices in the chorus,an
innovationhe brought about when he became
con- ductor of the University's Musical Society in 1873.A performance on
EasterSunday,
1921, at St.James'
Episcopal Church,New York
City, U.S.A.,made an
interesting historical point.The
tenor soloistwas
EverettM.
Olarke, of the MetropolitanOpera
House,New York
City.OPUS
6.INCIDENTAL MUSIG TO
"QUEEN MARY" (TENNYSON).
Composed
for theProduction ofthePlay
at theLyceum
Theatre, London, 1876.
Published
by
Augener.Stanford
composed
sevenimportant works on
subjectsby Tennyson, whose
lines hemuch
admired.All oftheseven
have
not retainedtheirinitialimport- ance, the Revenge (Op. 24)and Merlin and
theGleam
Sir Charles Stanford
(Op. 172) being the
two
finest,both
these, however, beingindependent
choral works.The
incidentalmusic
toQueen Mary was
written atthe request of
Tennyson
himself,who was
a friendand
admirer of Stanford.He backed up
thecom-
poser's request for
more room
for the orchestra of theproducing
theatre,and
offered topay
for thetwo rows
of stalls that
would have had
tohave been removed.
The management
refused to consider themusic
or musicians to this extent, however,and
so Stanfordhad
a taste of the difficulties of musicalcomposers with
businessmen.
Later hewas even
unable to get certain of his largersymphonic works
published, because of financial considerations very necessary to the publishers.The music
toQueen Mary
isavailable in pianoforte duet
form
in Messrs.Au-
gener's catalogue.
OPUS
7.SIX SONGS OF HEINE.
Published
by
Augener.It will
be
noted thatOpus 4
is also entitled SixSongs
ofHeine,and
thesame remarks made on
thatopus number
in thisbook may be
appliedhere.Opus
OPUS
8.CHORAL WORK, "THE FORTY- SIXTH PSALM
" (Godisour Hope),FOR SOPRANO,
ALTO, TENOR, BARITONE, AND BASS SOLI, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA.
First Appeared, 1877. Produced by the
Cambridge
UniversityMusical
Society, under the Composer'sDirection.
Published
by
Novello.This
work
provided plenty of solowork
for thebudding amateurs
of theCambridge
University's Musical Society.As music
it is rathermusty and
academical, although bearingtracesof that distinctive fervourand
sincerity that Stanford infused into his later choralworks on
religious subjects.OPUS
9.FIRST SONATA, IN
A,FOR VIOLON- CELLO AND PIANOFORTE.
Published
by Bote and
Bock.The
First 'Cello Sonata, while not a greatwork
initself, is not
unworthy
of the fine series ofchamber music
ofwhich
it is the first example.The
pianoforte ison
fairlyeven
terms with theSir Charles Stanford
'cello,
and
as awhole
thework
is melodiousand
in- teresting,and
there areeven
passages of quite lofty inspiration.OPUS
10.SERVICE IN B FLAT, FOR SOPRANO,
ALTO, TENOR AND BASS SOLI, OHORUS AND ORGHESTRA.
First Appeared, 1879.
1 ., \ >
M
' Publishedby
Novello. ,This service gained popularity
from
the first,and
is very finein its dignified
and
tuneful outlook.The numbers
consist of:—
Te Deum.
Jubilate
and
Benedictus.Officefor the
Holy Communion.
Magnificat
and Nunc
Dimitlis.OPUS
11.FIRST SONATA, IN
D,FOR VIOLIN
wUox AND PIANOFORTE.
Published
by
Ries.The
first violin sonata is obviously constructedby
themaster
hand,and
althoughsome
of its spiritOpus
reflects a certain mustiness of the period in
which
itwas composed,
it is nevertheless melodiousand
not uninteresting to the ear as a whole.OPUS
12.CHORAL WORK, SERVICE IN
A.Published
by
Novello.This is a well written
example
of later nineteenth century Britishchurch
music, as far as dignityand
scholarliness goes, but it is not so wellknown
as the composer's earlier Service inB
flat (Op. io).OPUS
13.THREE INTERMEZZI, FOR CLARINET AND PIANOFORTE.
Published
by
Novello.These
are three cleverand
quite musical pieces,and make
delightful clarinet soli.They
are also arranged for violinand
pianoforte,but
while the melodic outline is of course preserved here, they aremuch
to be preferred as clarinet pieces, forwhich
instrument they are eminently suited.Sir Charles Stanford OPUS
14.SIX ENGLISH SONGS.
Published
by
Boosey.Opus
14 is agroup
of songs, fairly musical,but
not of very special interest.OPUS
15.QUARTET IN
F,FOR PIANOFORTE AND STRINGS.
Published
by Bote and
Bock.This
work
is not at alla bad
affair, although it is not tobe numbered among
the composer's bestchamber
music.There
is afree flow ofmusic,and we
find passages of contrasting emotions,
and
well balanced strengthand
serenity.OPUS
16.MOTET, "AWAKE MY HEART,"
FOR CHOIR AND ORGAN.
Published
by
Boosey.Awake My
Heartmakes an
effectivepiece forchoirsand can be
safelyrecommended
to thosewho
requiresacred
music
of the finer variety, not devoid of tune.OpUS 17
The motet
has a certain dignity,but
its best charac-teristic is its pleasantness
and freedom from
stodgi-ness.
OPUS
17.SERENADE, IN
G,FOR ORCHESTRA.
First Performed, 1882, at the
Birmingham Musical
Festival.
Published
by
Boosey.The
Serenade inG met
withwarm
approvalfrom
the critics of the period, probably because itwas
constructed in theapproved manner. There
is noth- inginit thatcouldhave shocked
theconventionalistof the day, while it hasmuch
that is charming,both
inharmonic
constructionand
instrumentation.OPUS
18.CHORAL WORK,
"CAVALIER SONGS
"(BROWNING).
Published
by
Boosey.Browning was
rather pleased with Stanford's musical setting of the littlepoem
Prospice,and he
wrote to the composer, saying:"
... The
whole ofmy
poetry should be atyour
service—
'to servethyself,my
cousin !' . . . wereyou
able to illustrate it sohappily."
The
Cavalier Songsare noblein spirit,and
Stanford does not merely setthem
to music, butmakes them
Sir Charles Stanford
live in the music.
They
are really to benumbered numbered among
the finestof his earlierchoral works, being distinguishedby
quite noble inspiration.OPUS
19.SIX ENGLISH SONGS.
Published
by
Boosey.The remarks
applied in thisbook
toOpus
14 (Six English Songs)may be
also applied here.OPUS
20.SONATA IN D FLAT, FOR PIANOFORTE.
Not
Published at Present.OPUS
21.CHORAL WORK,
"ELEGIAC ODE
"(WALT WHITMAN).
First Produced, 1884, at the
Norwich Musical
Festival.Published
by
Boosey.The
ElegiacOde
is a typically noblework
of theAmerican
writer,Walt Whitman. The
musical set- ting rises to the heights required of it,and
is at once loftyand
inspired.Even
at thepresent day, thework
isrepresentative ofStanford's finergenius, althoughit
is
now seldom
performed.There
are passages in theOde
that are as fine asanything modern music can
show,and
the presenceOp
not only of the clever composer, but of the true musician's soul is clearly indicated.
Walt Whitman
was, of course, agrand
basis for Stanford's creative spirit towork
upon, for the greatAmerican
poetwas
probablymore
spiritually allied tomusic than any
otherexponent
of hisform
of literary art.He
loved,and was moved
by, music,and
alargeamount
of his writingswere dominated by
it, lending themselves almost without reserve to musical setting.
Above
all things, however,Walt Whitman's
linesmust have
a spiritual alliance withany music
they are set to;mere
alliance ofrhythm
is insufficient. In his setting of the Elegiac Ode, Stanford
caught
the spirit of the poet, as genius will often link with genius in literatureand
music,and
it istobehoped
thatthework
willsome day
be revived with the success that isdue
to a true, if notan
over-whelmingly
great,work
of art.OPUS
22.ORATORIO, "THE THREE HOLY CHILDREN."
First Produced, 1885, at the
Birmingham Musical
Festival.
Published
by
Boosey.Oratorio is a
form
ofmusic
thathad
a curious fascination for nineteenth century British composers.Perhaps
thismay have been
because of the greatSir Charles Stanford
popularity gained in
England
at that timeby Men-
delssohn's oratorios.
At any
rate, the Britishcom-
posers turned out sacred
works on
a kindofmass
pro- duction basis,and most
ofthem,
except Elgarwith
hisDream
of Gerontius, towhich
theGerman
musiciansdrew
ourattention,soonfound
themselveson
therocks.The
oratorioform
isone
thatseldom
brings out the best that isin a composer, for althoughtheremay be
subjects of great inspirative value, a large
amount
of thework
is invariablypadded
out with theological aspects, which,however
great in themselves,have
little or
no
interest as part of the musical aspect. Itis very rare, too, that public interest in
an
oratoriois kept alive
from
start to finish, for it is inevitable that the personwho
is listening solely to themusic
will often
come upon
passageswhere
the interest of themusic
drops,and some
theological platitudecomes
tothe fore.The
various religiousdogmas found
in oratoriosundoubtedly mean something
to thecomposers and
to a
number
of the listeners,but they do
notmake
music. In oratorio
we
are either appreciating themusic
itself, or the religious aspect of its libretto is foremost in our minds.There
are far toomany
places in oratorios generally
where
themusic
lacks interest for itsown
sake,and some
religious pointcomes
forward thatmay be
very fine in itself,but
does notcompensate
for themerely
draggingmusic
that goes with it.Opus 23
Elgar scored success with his
Dream
of Gerontius because hefound
a subject thatabounds
withhuman
interest, gripping
throughout
to the listener,and
the religioussentiments are quite secondary inthegeneral aspect of thewhole
work. In his later oratorios,The
Apostlesand The Kingdom,
Elgar fell into the oldpitfall of oratorio,
and much
finemusic
is laidon
the shelf becauseit failsto preserve the musical listener's interest as a whole.Stanford's
The
ThreeHoly
Children isan important work produced
atan important
festival. It is con- structed in a fineand
masterlymanner, and much
of its
music
is quite elevated in outlook.The
onlyfault
about
it is that it goes theway
ofmost
Britishoratorios of the nineteenth century.
OPUS
23.INCIDENTAL MUSIO TO
"THE EUMENIDES
"(^SGHYLUS).
First Appeared, 1885. Produced by the
Cambridge
UniversityMusical
Society.Published
by
Stainerand
Bell.The music
to this classical subject is clean cutand somewhat
academical in outlook. Itmay have
appealed to the learned classical
gentlemen
of the University,but
asmusic
itsounds
rather likewhat
it is
—
the artificialbackground
of a literary achieve-ment
that neverwanted any
incidental music.c
Sir Charles Stanford
OPUS
24.A BALLAD OF THE FLEET,
"THE REVENGE
"(TENNYSON), FOR CHORUS AND
ORCHESTRA.
First Produced, 1886, at the Leeds
Musical
Festival.Published
by
Novello.The
Revenge has longbeen
popular with choral societies,and
isone
of the bestknown
of Stan- ford's choral works.The
spirit of thepoem gave him one
ofhis naturalelements, theatmosphere
ofthesea, inwhich some
of his finestworks were
tobe
cast.In
The
Revenge Stanford breaksaway
into hisown
individual genius
and makes music
of themost
inspiredand
stirring type.Of
all hisworks up
tothisnumber, The
Revenge stands out asone
of the finest.The composer
appearsfreefrom
conventionalinfluenceand
writesmusic
that isentirelyworthy
of his natural genius.The
stirring lines ofTennyson's poem found a ready
sympathiser in Stanford,whose power
tocreate, not depict, the sea
atmosphere
in hismusic
is inimitable.
Page
afterpage
inThe
Revenge con- tainsmusic
fulloffireand
salt-seavigourand
strength.The work
is very conveniently scored only for chorusand
orchestra,and
has never yet failed tomake an
impression on,and
stirtheenthusiasm
of, thelistener, for it is reallymade
of the ingredients that create great music.OPUS
25.QUINTET IN D MINOR,
forPIANO- FORTE AND STRINGS.
First Appeared, January, 1887.
Published
by
Novello.The D minor
Pianoforte Quintet isan
austereand
classical work.
The
inspiration flows in amanner
peculiar to Stanford's versatilegenius,
and
as awhole
thework shows
signs of being truer to thelater Stan- fordthan
the precedingchamber music we have
noticed. It containssome
passages of certainbeauty and
refinement,but
hasno
very outstandingfeatures in the light of the composer's later works.OPUS
26.CHORAL WORK,
"CARMEN S^ECU-
LARE" (AN ODE BY TENNYSON), FOR SOPRANO SOLO, CHORUS, AND ORCHESTRA.
First Appeared, 1887. Produced at
Buckingham
Palace, London, to
Commemorate
the Jubilee ofQueen
Victoria,
on May
nth.Published
by
Novello.This
music was composed
at the special request of the poet laureate,Tennyson, who had
only writtenStanford
the
words
in thesame
year of theappearance
of themusic
(1887).The Ode was
written incommemora-
tion of
Queen
Victoria's Jubilee,and was performed
before herself
and
court atBuckingham
Palaceon May nth
ofthe Jubilee year.In a letter to
Tennyson,
later, theQueen spoke
of themusic
appreciatively, saying,"
We
greatly admired the music, whichwas
very descriptiveand
well adaptedto the words."
Whether
Stanford, the very firmand avowed
purist, liked hismusic
being called "very descriptive," is
open
to doubt.The music
isbetterknown
astheJubilee Ode,but
at the present day, however, it is oflittle value asmusic.State ceremonies
do
not call fordeep
inspirationon
the part of composers,but
ratherpomp and
circum-stance.
Even
Elgar's coronationmusic
falls flat,except
Land
ofHope and
Glory,which
hasbecome more
of anational song.
OPUS
27.CHORAL WORK,
"THE ONE HUN- DRED AND FIFTIETH PSALM, "PRAISE YE
THE LORD."
Published
by
Forsyth.The
setting of the lastpsalm
is in Stanford's bestchurch
style.The
exhortation to praiseGod
with thesounds
of the trumpet, psaltery, harp, stringedOpus
instruments, organ, loud
and
high cymbals, is of course simply asking for a musical setting.The
note of exultation that runsthrough
themusic
is rather effectiveand even
stirring in character.OPUS
28.THIRD SYMPHONY, IN F MINOR,
"THE IRISH," FOR ORCHESTRA.
First Appeared,
May
27th, 1887, at aLondon
Richter Concert. First Played inGermany,
1888, underHans
von Billow atHamburg and
Berlin.Published
by
Novello.1. Allegro moderato
— F
minor.2. Allegro molto vivace
— D
minor.3.
Andante
con moto— B
flat major.
4. Finale. Allegro moderato
ma
confuoco.Be
thou gracioustomy
country,and
tome who
sing ofmy
country, Phcebus,who
thyselfsingest with the crowned lyre.
The
firstand
second of Stanford'ssymphonies do
not bearopus numbers and
will befound
reviewed in ourbook
after the last of theworks
withopus numbers
hasbeen
discussed.The
IrishSymphony owes
its early appreciation to the efforts of theGerman
conductors, Richterand
von
Btilow, just astwo
of Elgar's greatsymphonic works do
to theformername.
It is themost
popularand
lovable of Stanford's symphonies,and when we
consider the period in
which
itwas
written, its fresh- nessand
individuality are remarkable.The
early popularity of the IrishSymphony
aroused atouch
of jealousy in Sullivan, thefamous comic
operacom-
poser,
who had
also written asymphony which he
regarded as the Irish,
but
hesitated thus to entitle it.In alettertoarelative
he
saidthathisown symphony was
theIrishand had always been
regardedassuchby
himself
and
his friends. After Mendelssohn's ScotchSymphony,
however,he
did notlike to entitle hisown work
in thesame
style,but
ifhe had known
that Stanfordwas
going to publish asymphony
entitledtheIrish,
he would have knocked modesty on
thehead and
entitled hisown.
Sullivan's
modesty may be
as admirable as hissnap
at a brothercomposer
is less admirable,but
Stanfordwas
Stanford,and when he wrote
hissym- phony
thatisfullofthespiritand
tunesof hiscountry,he
quite allowably entitled it the Irish,whether
theGerman
composer, Mendelssohn,had
written Scotchand
ItalianSymphonies
or not.Comparison between
composers'works
to the dis-paragement
ofone
ofthem
should notbe attempted
in a book,and we
will not discuss the relative meritsand
demerits of Sullivanand
Stanford in this spirit.The
IrishSymphony
of Stanford isundoubtedly
aOpus
very beautiful work,
abounding
with touches of the Irish spirit heknew and
loved so well.The whole
thing is freshand charmingly
scored, while it also contains passages of themost
elevated type of in- spirationand
penetrative expressiveness.The motto
at the beginning of the scorewe have
given in English,but
Stanford, true to his classical upbringing, inscribed it in Latin.As
a bettermotto
for the work,
Joseph
Bennett, a oncewell-known
musical journalist, suggested the lines;—
Erin, the tear
and
the smile inthineeyesBlend
like the rainbow that hangs in the skies; Shining through sorrow's stream,Sadd'ning through pleasure's beam,
Thy
suns, with doubtfulgleamWeep
while they rise.These undoubtedly
explain the deeper spirit of the work, with its contrasting expressions of jollityand
sad beauty. Especially contrasting is the jovi- ality of the Scherzo with the poignant tenderness of the Andante,and
thebroad
strength of the Finale.1.
The Symphony
opens softly with a romantictheme
in the strings,which
is presently discussed atsome
length.The
secondsubject, a flowing, dignified melody, isconventionallyannounced
inthekey
of therelative
major
(A flat).The two themes
are developed in a masterlyand
Sir Charles
ingenious
manner, and an
ultimateCoda
brings themovement
to a melodious conclusion.2. This
movement
is notable for its jolly chief subject in theform
ofan
Irish national dance, theHop
Jig.A
second subject,more
austere, is pre- sentlyheard
in the flutes, while a Trio portion has a long, lovelymelody
given outby
the clarinets.The
rollickingdance mood,
however, is the pre-dominating
one,and
presently has awelcome
return.The
placingoftheScherzo asthe secondmovement was a happy
thought,and
effectivelybalances the sesthet- ical aspect of theSymphony
as a whole.3.
The Andante
isone
of themost
poignantlyexpressive things Stanford ever
composed. Preceded by a
curiously impressiveharp
solo, the first subjectis given out
by unaccompanied
clarinets, the effect beingone
ofmournful
beauty. This is dweltupon
for
some
time,and
fully treated until the second subject appears.This is a plaintive tune given out
by
the oboi, togetherwith which we
hear the violas suggesting the old Irishmelody, The Lament
of theSons
of Usnach.From now onwards
themusic becomes
increasingly poignant,and
the writing stillmore
skilful, until the
end comes with an
impression of utter sadness, increasingly penetrating in its softstillness.
The whole
of thismovement
ismusic
of the soul.It throbs
throughout
withdeep emotion
thatgrows
OpUS
in places to a heart-shaking sadness. It is all
music
ofthesort thatgoesstraight to the soulofthelistener, gripping his attention to the end.
The
instrumen- tationand harmonic
colouring of themovement
are full of subtleand
impressive effects.4.
The
Finale starts offon
introductory matter, until the old Irish tune,Molly McAlpin,
appears in theoboe and
clarinet, with pizzicatoaccompaniment.
It is presently succeeded
by
a second subject,which
in turnbecomes
absorbed in the fine old Irish air, LetErin Remember
theDays
of Old, stirringly an-nounced by
four horns.The movement
is inRondo
form,and grows more and more triumphant
asit proceeds, until at last theSymphony
ends in a shout of victorious splendour.OPUS
29.INCIDENTAL MUSIC TO THE
"(EDIPUS TYRANNUS" OF SOPHOCLES.
First Appeared, 1887. Produced by the
Cambridge
UniversityMusical
Society,Published
by
Stainerand
Bell.This is
more
incidentalmusic
to classical literature,and
iswrittenin acarefuland
scholarlymanner. The music
as such, however, is not absolutely great, although it probablymeant much
to theeminent
classical
gentlemen
of the University at the time.We suppose
Stanfordwas
obliged to turn out this sort of stuff, to fit in with his surroundings of the period.OPUS
30."
A CHILD'S GARLAND OF SONGS."
Published
by Gurwen.
These
songs are verycharming and
delightful.The music
istouched throughout
withthe sheerjoyof natureand something
of the simple delight of child- hood. It is very refreshing to see Stanford's genius in these surroundings, unsoiledby academicisms
or conventionalities, giving rein to that poetical fancywhich
afterwardsgrew
tosuch
delightful proportions in hissong and
pianoforte writing.OPUS
31.FOURTH SYMPHONY, IN
F,FOR ORCHESTRA.
First Performed,
January
14th, 1889, at Berlin,Germany, under
the Composer's Direction.Published
by
Novello.Thro'youth to strife: thro' death to life.
Stanford