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New Light on John Stanley's Organ Music
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 January 1974
Extract
The bulk of Stanley's organ music was published in three sets of ten voluntaries, Opp. 5–7 (1748–54, reprinted c.1765, again c. 1784 and a third time c. 1809). Their popularity was unrivalled in their day, and Stanley is still regarded as the greatest English organ composer of the eighteenth century. All but five of the 30 voluntaries have two movements (the rest have three or four), and these invariably consist of a short slow movement followed by a longer fast one. The slow movements are strongly influenced by Corelli but the quick ones owe more to Handel and especially Vivaldi in their great rhythmic energy and frequent use of a rudimentary ritornello form. These quick movements are either fugues for full organ or else they make use of a particular solo stop, usually the cornet or trumpet.
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- Copyright © 1977 The Royal Musical Association and the Authors
References
1 The 30 voluntaries are available in two modern editions: John Stanley: Voluntaries for the Organ, ed. Denis Vaughan (facsimile edn.), 3 vols., London, 1957; and John Stanley: the Thirty Organ Voluntaries, ed. Gordon Phillips (Tallis to Wesley, xxvii-xxix), London, 1967.Google Scholar
2 For general surveys of Stanley's published voluntaries, see for example Gerald Finzi, ‘John Stanley (1713–86)’, Proceedings of the Royal Musical Association, lxxvii (1950–51), 63–74; Malcolm Boyd, ‘John Stanley's Voluntaries’, The Musical Times, cxv (1974), 598–601; and Phillips, ed. cit.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3 Dulwich College, London, Reading MSS I, II and IV (now 92a, 92b and 92d); Henry Watson Music Library, Manchester, BR.m.7105.Rf.31; and Nanki Music Library, Tokyo, N-4/31 (see Catalogue of Rare Books and Notes, The Ohki Collection, Nanki Music Library, Tokyo, 1970, p. 11).Google Scholar
4 For a full description, see H. Diack Johnstone, ‘An Unknown Book of Organ Voluntaries’, The Musical Times, cviii (1967), 1003–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5 An interesting parallel is found in the voluntaries of John Alcock senior. In No. 2 of his set of ten published in 1774, the second movement is set for cremona (another reed, quite similar to the vox humana) and is marked ‘Affetuoso’; but it bears an instruction, ‘NB this Movement may be for the Cornet and Echo, if play'd fast’.Google Scholar
6 In the Manchester and R.C.O. manuscripts, and (in a corrupt version) in the Tokyo manuscript.Google Scholar
7 The overture also has a third movement, a march, but this is not in the style of an organ piece.Google Scholar