The Royal School of Church Music (RSCM) marks the centenary of Charles Villiers Stanford’s death with a series of special events
Charles Villiers Stanford, one of the great choral composers of the late 19th/early 20th century, died on 29 March 1924. As executors of the Stanford estate, the RSCM publishes a vast range of Stanford’s music, available from RSCM Music Direct. To mark the centenary of Stanford’s death, the RSCM is planning a number of special events.
STANFORD SINGING BREAK 12-14 July, Queens’ College, Cambridge
An exclusive singing weekend in Stanford’s honour, to be held 12–14 July at Queens’ College Cambridge, where he was organ scholar. This is a unique opportunity to sing some of Stanford’s best known (and lesser known) works in glorious Cambridge surroundings, including Trinity College Chapel (where Stanford was organist) and Great St Mary’s Church. This course will particularly focus on the wonderful inheritance of Anglican Choral music, with RSCM Director Hugh Morris as conductor.
The RSCM holds a number of Stanford manuscripts, and there will be an exclusive session for members of the course to view them, along with an informative lecture on the life and works of the composer given by Stanford expert Jeremy Dibble (University of Durham) on the Saturday evening. On the Friday evening there will be a special, illustrated organ recital featuring Stanford organ works, given by Anthony Gritten.
There will also be meals to share social time together, as well as time to explore the delights of Cambridge in summer.
The course is suitable for experienced, adult (18+) choral singers working at or above RSCM Silver Award level or equivalent (which expects a reasonable level of music reading and independence as a singer); and places may be limited in some voice parts to ensure a balanced choir. Interactive learning resources will be available through the RSCM Choral Coach app, and a full set of music in a commemorative presentation folder will be available to all participants.
Full details/booking https://www.rscmshop.com/features/stanford-singing-break
Illustrated organ recital by Anthon Gritten, Queens’ College chapel, Friday 12 July, 7.30pm
This illustrated recital will span Stanford’s entire compositional life, from an early work of c.1875 through to his final works of the 1920s. At the centre of the recital is one of his large-scale masterpieces for organ, the Sonata no. 4 in C minor ‘Celtica’ op. 153, written at the end of the First World War. In addition to complete performances of these five pieces, the event will discuss aspects of Stanford’s compositional language, including his use of hymn tunes, the impact of his Irish heritage, the shape of his sonata thinking, and the influence of other composers on his music.
Lecture with Jeremy Dibble, Queens’ College, Saturday 13 July, 7.30pm
Charles Villiers Stanford is justifiably renowned for his brilliantly original church music, but he is perhaps less well known for the extraordinary range of other work he composed across his highly creative life. This lecture will explore some of that repertoire, including extracts from his operas, symphonies, choral works, songs and partsongs, to offer a fresh appreciation of his unrivalled composition for the Anglican liturgy.
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