Through his great talent as an organist, Stainer must have enriched the lives of thousands who simply heard him play. At St. Paul’s Cathedral, those attending the cathedral not only experienced his skills, but had the privilege of hearing a choir transformed by Stainer’s efforts during his time in charge. St. Paul’s modern reputation in music is largely the legacy of Stainer, an influence which has spread to cathedrals nation-wide and beyond.

Sir John enriched the lives of those who knew him personally. He is remarked upon as loveable, kind, generous, and possessing a gentle sense of humour. While at Oxford, Stainer kept aloof from personal politics and was the calm voice of reason appealed to when matters were in dispute. He once remarked during an argument between University officials, that if they did not agree with each other, he would put them in a wheelbarrow and roll them around the University Parks until they agreed!

Sir John was a prolific composer, as the appended list indicates. He scored several oratorios, composed various settings for church services, wrote many anthems and over 150 hymn tunes. During his life, the popularity of his music was such that it was performed throughout the Anglican communion and beyond. However, in the years since his death, Stainer’s music has been heard somewhat less – with the exception of the ever-popular Crucifixion.

How is it that much of Stainer’s music can have moved from widespread public admiration to relative obscurity? There are two principle answers. First, changing fashion and taste were important. The Times noted in its obituary ‘In a word, his music belonged to a period fast passing away’ (The Times, 2 Apr. 1901); Stainer died at the beginning of a century destined to witness the most radical and sustained period of musical development and change. Second, the sheer quantity of music which Stainer composed has tended to divert attention away from his better works. The pressure to compose came on the one hand from his personal generosity – Stainer found it difficult to refuse a request for a new work, such as an anthem, simply out of kindliness. On the other hand, Stainer’s career in church music coincided with important changes within the Anglican Church, in particular the rising influence of the Oxford Movement. In much of the Church of England there was a return to more Catholic values and a greater emphasis placed upon the dignity of services. This required church musicians such as Stainer to maintain a high output of anthems and settings for services to satisfy this new direction. It is perhaps significant that musicologists tend to regard Stainer’s earlier work as superior to his later work - before those pressures to produce large quantities of music were placed upon him.

Changing fashion and the pressure to produce a high volume of output should not detract from the significant merit of much of Stainer’s work. The Crucifixion remains highly popular. Perhaps its genius resides in what one contemporary reviewer termed its ‘studied simplicity’. Stainer intended it for use by parish church choirs, it demands less of singers than some of his other works and was written for organ accompaniment only. Despite this restricting form, it possesses a highly meditative and melodious quality and has some truly memorable sections. About a dozen of Stainer’s hymn tunes have secured an enduring place in church music such as Love Divine, all Loves Excelling (1889) and All for Jesus (1887); the latter being taken from the last section of The Crucifixion. Stainer produced a number of complete settings for services; the most successful were his 1870 in E flat, the evening canticles of which, in particular, have remained in use. Perhaps now, with a century’s perspective, we can appreciate more fully the merits and lasting worth of his music and acknowledge the important role he played in the development of the late nineteenth-century church.

It would be wrong to evaluate Stainer’s legacy solely, or even mainly, upon his musical compositions. His radical improvement of music at St. Paul’s Cathedral has already been mentioned; he also transformed music elsewhere. It was remarked: ‘During his years at Magdalen he raised the choir to a pitch of excellence which procured for it universal fame.’ (The Times, 2 Apr. 1901). Stainer improved the musical life of Oxford more generally through active involvement in a variety of musical societies and, in 1866, by his founding of the Oxford Philharmonic Society. Stainer’s legacy to music is also not confined to London and Oxford; he worked tirelessly for musical education and appreciation through a variety of appointments. As inspector of music at training colleges, he examined around a thousand students per year and was responsible for enhancing standards. He acted as an examiner for several institutions, including the universities of Cambridge, London and Durham. He was one of the co-founders of the Musical Association, and was elected in 1889 as President of the Royal College of Organists. He sat on the council of the Royal School of Music and was involved in the establishment of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Shortly before he died, he was made Master of the Worshipful Company of Musicians – London’s oldest guild.

Stainer made an important contribution to the study of music through his publications; indeed, some contend that musicology owes him the greatest debt. Stainer’s edition of Early Bodleian Music is considered to be the first serious attempt by an English scholar to explore English music before Tallis and Palastrina. Also well regarded is his collection of Christmas carols edited with Rev. H. R. Bramley. Stainer’s Dictionary of Musical Terms (1876) was the largest and best-selling publication of its type at the time and has remained a useful source of reference. While Sir John clearly made an important contribution to the scholarly study of music, he also penned highly popular musical primers including The Organ (1877), Choral Society Vocalization (1877), Composition (1877) and Harmony (1878). By his death, these latter works had sold 320,000 copies and remained in print long after.