Biography
Stainer was born in Southwark, London, on 6 June 1840. As a boy, he sang in the choir of St Paul's Cathedral (a house in the cathedral's present choir school is named after him). At the age of 16, he was appointed by Sir Frederick Ouseley to the post of organist at the newly founded St. Michael's College, Tenbury. Because of a childhood accident, Stainer had lost the use of one eye; for a brief period in 1875 he lost that of the other too.
In 1860 he became organist at Magdalen College, Oxford, moving to St Paul's Cathedral in 1872. Thirteen years afterwards, he was awarded an honorary degree by Durham University; and he became professor of music at Oxford University in 1889. He conducted pioneering research into early music, notably the output of Guillaume Dufay, then scarcely known even among experts. He also contributed a small treatise, Harmony, and another, Composition, to the famous series of Novello musical primers. For budding organists he wrote a primer called, simply, The Organ, which continues to have a following. In recognition of his services to British music, he received a knighthood from Queen Victoria in 1888.
While on holiday in Italy, Stainer died in Verona of heart failure on 31 March 1901, at the age of 60. His funeral was held on 6 April at St Cross Church, Holywell, Oxford, and the surrounding streets were filled with mourners.
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