May / June 2018

The Piano Trios of Charles Villiers Stanford

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was born in Dublin, the only son of a well-to-do Protestant lawyer. His father was an accomplished amateur musician who played the cello and sang, while his mother was a pianist. In such a family, it was inevitable that he would be given music lessons early on and so he was sent to study the violin, piano and organ as well as composition with local teachers. His extraordinary musical ability revealed itself early and was of such a degree athat an article in the Musical Times of London mentioned it. At the age of 10, he was sent to London to continue his piano and composition studies with Ernst Pauer. In 1870, he won a scholarship to Queens College, Cambridge where he quickly established a commanding reputation. However, he soon transferred to Trinity College, where, while still an undergraduate, he was appointed college organist, a post he held until 1892. At the same time, he took over as conductor of the Cambridge University Musical Society, a position which gave him great opportunities to make his name known in wider musical circles. During his tenure, he was responsible for many important premiers and revivals. From 1874 to 1877, he was given leave of absence for part of each year to complete his studies in Germany. He spent 2 years with Carl Reinecke at the Leipzig Conservatory and a further year with Friedrich Kiel at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. Reinecke and Kiel, along with Joseph Rheinberger, were then considered the finest composition teachers in the world. Stanford took his BA degree in 1874 and MA in 1878. An honorary degree of D.Mus. was given him by Oxford in 1883 and by Cambridge in 1888. He was knighted in 1901. Besides composing, Stanford held many important teaching posts and directorships. He was appointed professor of composition at the Royal College of Music in 1883; was conductor of The Bach Choir from 1886 to 1902; was professor of music at Cambridge, conductor of the Leeds Philharmonic Society from 1897 to 1909, and of the Leeds Festival from 1901 to 1910.

The once high reputation that he enjoyed all but disappeared by the end of his life with critics writing him off as nothing more than a German “copycat” and another Brahms imitator. This criticism is both unfair and wide of the mark. Anything more than a cursory investigation of his music reveals his Celtic roots, as well as his intense individuality. This combining of German and Celtic traditions to create an integrated idiom was instrumental in establishing an English style upon which the next generation of British composers could build. Among his many students were Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst, Herbert Howells, Frank Bridge, William Hurlstone, Ernst Moeran, Arthur Bliss, Thomas Dunhill and Percy Grainger.

Stanford’s Piano Trio No.1 in E flat Major, Op.35 dates from 1889. The opening Allegro grazioso begins in a relatively unassuming way and slowly builds momentum but always remains true to its grazioso character. The melodies are certainly ingratiating and Stanford clearly shows that he knows how to write equally as well for strings as he does for the piano. The light-hearted second movement, Allegretto con moto, performs the function of a brief, dance-like intermezzo. The strings present the charming melody to a Mendelssohnian accompaniment in the piano.  The tempo of the Tempo di Minuetto which comes next is perhaps that of a slow minuet but the music is more in the form of a lyrical andante. The finale, Allegro moderato, ma con fuoco, right from the start begins in an exciting fashion. The themes are thrusting and energetic and crown a well-crafted and appealing work. If the composer of this work had been German, no one would have hesitated, even today, to place it in the front rank of piano trios from this time period. Sadly, the prejudice against Anglo-America composers led to its being marginalized.

Stanford's Piano Trio No.2 in g minor, Op.73 was written when he was at the height of his powers and dates from 1899. The Trio opens with an impetuous theme, (example on left) Allegro moderato, rich and full-blooded. A questioning bridge passage leads to the romantic and lyrical second subject. In the second movement, Andante, the piano presents the gentle theme alone for sometime before the strings finally enter to restate it. There is a short fugal bridge section which leads to the powerful, dramatic climax of the movement. This is followed by a Presto, which is a muscular and thrusting scherzo. The gorgeous trio section is slower and provides excellent contrast. The finale, Larghetto--Allegro con fuoco, begins with a slow, introduction, pregnant with expectation, in which several parts of what is to be the main theme, are heard in a distended version. Then, after a brief pause, the powerful Allegro bursts forth fulfilling the expectations created by the Larghetto.

Piano Trio No.3 in A Major, Op.l58 was composed in the spring of 1918. Despite the fact that Stanford was 66 at the time he composed the trio, it shows the vigor of a much younger man. Although the work is dedicated to the memory of the sons of two of his friends who had been killed in the First World War, the music does not commemorate their deaths.  The main theme to the opening  Allegro moderato ma con fuoco is thrusting and energetic while the second theme is lyrical and reflective. The middle movement, Adagio, is sweet and a bit sad, but not funereal. Even when it rises to moments of heightened passion, there is no bitterness. The finale, Allegro maestoso, begins ceremonially with a celebratory, jovial melody (see example on left) and continues on in a triumphant vein.

You can hear soundbites to all three by clicking on the links above. And all three are available from Edition Silvertrust.