Irish
composer Charles Stanford (1852–1924) became a leading musical figure in
England over the course of his life, teaching at the Royal College of Music,
acting as the Chair of Music at Cambridge, and even achieving knighthood.
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| Charles Stanford (Courtesy of wikimedia.org) |
Stanford
grew up in a home where he was encouraged to pursue music. He received a good
musical and academic education in Dublin before entering the Queens’ College,
Cambridge at 18. After graduation, Stanford had already established himself as
an organist, conductor, and soon, a leading composer. He also had several
notable pupils including Vaughan Williams, Holst, and Bridge.
As
a composer, Stanford wrote in a variety of musical genres including works for
voice, stage, orchestra, chamber ensemble, and keyboard. His Irish Rhapsodies are among his noteworthy
works, having roots in his Irish heritage. Today, let’s listen to the first
rhapsody that he based on Irish folk tales. In it, Stanford takes two
traditional Irish tunes and uses them as the basis: “Leatherbags Donnell” and the
“Londonderry Air.” We will look at how the “Londonderry Air” is used on other
famous works later this month.
Next
week we’ll look at one more Irish-born composer, Arthur Duff, before we get to
St. Patrick’s Day when I’ll give you a special playlist! Stay tuned!
