Admirers of the Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford, who has been described as a "masterly musical architect" with an "extraordinary range", are not exactly thick on the ground; in fact they could well be described, in Frank O'Connor's phrase, as a submerged population group, or perhaps an endangered species.
But in recent years there have been signs of a revival of interest in Stanford's work, with a number of CDs being released. These include Stanford's first and second string quartets with the Vanbrugh Quartet (Hyperion) and his Requiem and other works recorded by the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir with the NSO and soloists conducted by Adrian Leaper and Colman Pearce, transferred from Marco Polo to the Naxos label. Not long ago Chandos brought out a two-disc compilation of his orchestral music including the Piano Concerto No 2 with the Ulster Orchestra under Vernon Handley. More recently the same company released a CD of songs performed by the outstanding baritone Gerald Finley with the BBC Welsh Orchestra and Richard Hickox.
This attention paid by record companies to Stanford's work is very welcome but, as one enthusiast complained to me, in the country of his birth there's no real interest in his work outside church walls. However, a big step towards encouraging interest in the composer has recently been taken in Cambridge. Thanks in large part to the efforts of an American admirer, John Covell, the Stanford Society was launched with a weekend of special events supported by the Cambridge University Musical Society. But why Cambridge? Well, when Stanford was 18 he enrolled as an undergraduate organ scholar at the university's Queen's College. He transferred to Trinity College three years later and was appointed professor of music in 1887, a position he retained until shortly before his death in 1924. Since he had made an outstanding contribution to the musical life of Cambridge for more than 50 years it was only right that he should be honoured there.
If Cambridge was slow to acknowledge its debt to Stanford, and needed to be prompted by John Covell and his associates, the weekend programme of talks, concerts and services made ample amends. On the Saturday, the well-known baritone Stephen Varcoe gave a recital of songs by Stanford and some of his pupils at the university's concert hall. These included spoof settings of Edward Lear limericks by "Karel Drofnatzki" (as Stanford transmogrified his name) using passages from composers such as Verdi and Wagner. Despite long residence in England, Stanford's Irish sense of humour plainly didn't desert him.
The main concert, given in Trinity College Chapel that evening, began with the Magnificat for double chorus written just before the death of the composer Hubert Parry (with whom he had quarrelled), and dedicated to his memory. After the Fantasia and Toccata in D minor for organ, Three Motets, and the 3rd Piano Trio, the concert ended with the magnificent Coronation Gloria. This last piece was written for the coronation of King George V in 1911 and was used again for the coronation of the next and present monarchs. Stanford - politically a staunch unionist - would have felt gratified.
Later, at a reception in King's College for the unveiling of a blue plaque to Stanford, it was a pleasure to meet Melissa Webb (younger daughter of the late Prof WB Stanford of TCD) and her husband Marcus, over to lend their support to the event. Members of the TCD Association's Cambridge and London branches were also there to help fly the flag on behalf of one of Dublin's most distinguished sons.
I mentioned that Stanford and Parry fell out. As we heard the next day from Prof Jeremy Dibble, relations between Stanford and Edward Elgar also turned sour after the Irishman took offence at some of Elgar's remarks.
They were eventually reconciled, though some coolness remained. Stanford was perhaps a man too easily angered, but in Prof Dibble's view he was less to blame than Elgar for the quarrel. Prof Dibble, who has published a book on Stanford, was lecturer in music at University College Cork before joining Durham University in 1993. He is currently working on a short study of the Italian pianist and composer Michele Esposito who lived and worked in Dublin almost all his professional life.
Prof Dibble's lecture was followed by Evensong in King's College Chapel. In this marvellous building dating from the reign of Henry VI we heard more of Stanford's music, including a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis and the anthem A Song of Wisdom, all beautifully sung. It was a moving tribute to a great Irishman with a fair claim to be the finest composer his country has produced, a worthy recipient of the knighthood bestowed on him in 1901. Probably the conservatism of his musical language (like that of Saint-Saëns) tended to make his work go out of fashion more quickly than it might otherwise have done. Those in search of a highly individual sound world will not find it in Stanford. But he was a composer of inspiration and extraordinary craftsmanship in virtually every genre. His work should be heard more often. Fortunately the Stanford Society has now been established to make that case.
Membership application forms are available from: Stephen Frost, Membership Secretary, The Stanford Society, 110 Beauval Road, London SE22 8UH. E-mail: stanfordsociety@aol.com.
Web: www.thestanfordsociety.org