Charles Stanford Biography - A Very Quick Guide

Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924) was a central figure in the revival of British music, shaping its direction as a composer, conductor, teacher, performer, and writer. Born in Dublin, he trained in Cambridge and later in Germany before becoming Professor of Composition at the Royal College of Music—where he taught for over forty years—and Professor of Music at Cambridge.

A prolific composer, Stanford produced symphonies, operas, chamber music, hundreds of songs, and major church works, and he wrote widely on musical subjects. Though best remembered today for his sacred music and for mentoring an extraordinary generation of British composers—including Holst, Vaughan Williams, and Coleridge-Taylor - his broader output has seen renewed attention in recent decades through revived performances and recordings.