Blithe Spirit

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924) was born in Dublin, studied at Cambridge University and in Leipzig and Berlin, and in 1882 was one of the founding fathers of the Royal College of Music in London, where he taught composition for the rest of his life.

He was a prolific composer, writing seven symphonies, nine operas, concertos, orchestral music, choral music and songs, which he combined alongside his teaching and conducting duties. Stanford, together with Hubert Parry and Alexander Mackenzie, were considered responsible for a renaissance in music in Britain, and towards the end of the 20th-century there has been a resurgence of interest in his music.