In his lifetime Stanford was regarded primarily as a composer
of symphonic works and oratorios but it is for his church music,
not his orchestral works, that he is now remembered. Born in
Dublin, he entered Queen's College, Cambridge but in 1873 was
appointed organist of Trinity College. He was granted repeated
leave of absence from Trinity to study in Leipzig where he
numbered amongst his friends Brahms and Joachim. The influence
of Brahms and of the native music of Ireland is evident
throughout his church music and, due in part to his cosmopolitan
musical education, Stanford breathed new life into the familiar
forms of service and anthem, creating compositions of lasting popularity and merit.
Although Stanford was an organist, he left relatively little
music for that instrument. Apart from the popular Preludes
and Postludes, the only substantial pieces are the three
Preludes and Fugues (opus 193) dating from his later years.
Published in 1922, they owe more to German than to English
precedent, containing echoes of the sonatas of Merkel and
Rheinberger.
Recorded in New College Chapel
11-13 July 1994
Playing time : 68'25" DDD
