The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-05-06
IN HONOR OF SIR JOHN sTA1NER
Memorial Services Held in st. Johns
Church. Georgetown.

Many people gathered yesterday after
| noon in St Johns Church. Georgetown
TO honor the memory of Sir John Stainer
| England's most famous composer OF
| church music and choirmaster. A most
reverent service was celebrated. 1t was
completely choral. and the music was
almost entirely of Stainer's composition.
| The vested choir of st. Johns Church
was augmented by select voices from the
boy choir of Christ Church, Georgetown.
Miss Bell, the organist of Christ Church,
played the organ, and r. l. McAll was
choirmaster.
The following programme was rendered:
Professional Hymn-"All for Jesus stainer
Yersicles-Bristol Use........-...-J. s. b. Hodges
Psalter-Burial Psalms 1HH 49, Ie.:.:;..-- =: r..
Magnifcat in D, Nunc Dimittis in F.. ,stainer
Anthem After Third Collect-"Yea, Though
- , Walk SAM: .; cod;,-Ym suiii'an
'Beati' OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. .stslner
ADDRESS.
Anthem During oIertory-"I Am Alpha
and Omega stalner
Ohertory Sentence-DOxology.
Marche Funebre ........................ Chopin
Congregation remaining standing).
RecessionaI Hymn 67e-''There is a Blessed
Home Tune, Blessed Home -. .stainer
The choir showed fine training, and Miss
Bells playing of the organ was exquisite
ly sympathetic and clear cut. Her inter-
probation of the Chopin funeral march
was deeply reyerential.
short eulogy of Sir John s;ainer was
delivered by the rector Of the church. the
Rev. Frank II. Barton. He said in part:
There are some intellects that we meet
that are so brillianc that we feel that
. hrill Yfsvl
are some powers that we encounter that
we think ought to be more powerful.
Some such thoughts are aroused by
contemplation of Sir John Stainer's life.
He seemed to have such a primal claim
to the brilliancy of intellect that was his,
and the power that he welded over mu-
sic. He set the greatest songs of the ages
floating from human threats, and II was
his privilege TO make hymns that shall
have long life.
1T is said that some marriages are
made in heaven ] am sure that the mar
riage of words and music in John Stain
er's hymns was made there. He was
always a musician. In his early years
he showed great inclination toward
making music, and at seven sat at the
organ and played quite remarkably.
Later. when he was fourteen, he had so
far progressed in his mastery Of the in
that he was made organist of
a church 1t was only few years after
ward that he was offered the position of
assistant organist at st. Paul's Cathe-
dral, London. 1t was only when he
reached the age IF twenty-one that he
felt he could accept the offer, but at
that time he was installed as regular
organist.
HE was the beginning of a real refor-
nation in church music, and modern
church music bears testimony to the
strength of his influence He came with
a large number of ideas. all of which
were scoffed at. Yet he lived long enough
TO see all his ideas adopted. He was at
the beginning a strong advocate of the
chant, but gradually changed
he held until the end
when he was forty-one, he was knight
ed He had made one of the most won
derful boys choirs that the world has
ever seen or heard AS a choirmaster
he was a strict disciplinarian. He used
every method of keeping them in order.
from suspending them from service to
Jogging them. lie was great as a teach
err and It is our special privilege to have
AT the organ today one who has sung
under his baton and absorbed his musical
methods.
AN accident so impaired his eyesight
that he felt Obliged TO give up active
work. Il used to think that If I made
one mistake l was doing very poorly
he said enc day. But during this service
| have made three and he thereupon
rendered his resignation. He then went
to oxford. where he was professor OF
music until the time of his death.
'-Staincr took the talents which God had
given him and multiplied them for the
good OF the world and the honor OF his
Creator"