R. J. S. Stevens
Encyclopedia
Richard John Samuel Stevens (27 March 1757 in London
, England – 23 September 1837 in Peckham near London) was an English composer
and organist
.
in London. In 1808 he received yet another appointment, as music master at Christ's Hospital
. Besides being valuable in themselves, these appointments helped him to attract the wealthy pupils on whom his living substantially depended.
In 1810 Stevens married Anna Jeffery, after a long courtship; in 1811 they had a son, Richard George, who entered Gray’s Inn in 1834. He embarked on the life of a gentleman of leisure, made possible by a substantial bequest from one of his father’s friends in 1817.
Stevens’s chief claim to attention is as a composer of glee
s. He was not prolific, considering the length of his life; the bulk of his composing was done between 1780 and 1800. Stevens was more careful than many contemporaries in his choice of texts, and devoted special attention to Shakespeare. Of his 15 Shakespearean glees, composed between 1782 and 1807, five are among his best-known pieces: Ye spotted snakes (1782, rev. 1791), Sigh no more, ladies (1787), Crabbed age and youth (1790), Blow, blow, thou winter wind (1793) and The cloud-cap’t towers(1795).
Among Stevens’s compositions that did not outlive him were some anthems, including several for Christ's Hospital; three keyboard sonatas; an opera entitled Emma; and a few songs and hymn tunes. Stevens was a professional member of the Anacreontic Society
and it is through his journal accounts that we know that John Stafford Smith
wrote their club song The Anacreontic Song, which, considerably altered and with new words, is now the national anthem of the USA, The Star Spangled Banner.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England – 23 September 1837 in Peckham near London) was an English composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
.
Biography
In 1801 Stevens was appointed Gresham Professor of MusicGresham Professor of Music
The Professor of Music at Gresham College, London, gives free educational lectures to the general public. The college was founded for this purpose in 1596 / 7, when it appointed seven professors; this has since increased to eight and in addition the college now has visiting professors.The Professor...
in London. In 1808 he received yet another appointment, as music master at Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
. Besides being valuable in themselves, these appointments helped him to attract the wealthy pupils on whom his living substantially depended.
In 1810 Stevens married Anna Jeffery, after a long courtship; in 1811 they had a son, Richard George, who entered Gray’s Inn in 1834. He embarked on the life of a gentleman of leisure, made possible by a substantial bequest from one of his father’s friends in 1817.
Stevens’s chief claim to attention is as a composer of glee
Glee (music)
A glee is an English type of part song spanning the late baroque, classical and early romantic periods. It is usually scored for at least three voices, and generally intended to be sung unaccompanied. Glees often consist of a number of short, musically contrasted movements and their texts can be...
s. He was not prolific, considering the length of his life; the bulk of his composing was done between 1780 and 1800. Stevens was more careful than many contemporaries in his choice of texts, and devoted special attention to Shakespeare. Of his 15 Shakespearean glees, composed between 1782 and 1807, five are among his best-known pieces: Ye spotted snakes (1782, rev. 1791), Sigh no more, ladies (1787), Crabbed age and youth (1790), Blow, blow, thou winter wind (1793) and The cloud-cap’t towers(1795).
Among Stevens’s compositions that did not outlive him were some anthems, including several for Christ's Hospital; three keyboard sonatas; an opera entitled Emma; and a few songs and hymn tunes. Stevens was a professional member of the Anacreontic Society
Anacreontic Society
The Anacreontic Society was a popular gentlemen's club of amateur musicians in London founded in the mid-18th century. These barristers, doctors, and other professional men named their club after the Greek court poet Anacreon, who lived in the 6th century B.C. and whose poems, "anacreontics", were...
and it is through his journal accounts that we know that John Stafford Smith
John Stafford Smith
John Stafford Smith was a British composer, church organist, and early musicologist. He was one of the first serious collectors of manuscripts of works by Johann Sebastian Bach....
wrote their club song The Anacreontic Song, which, considerably altered and with new words, is now the national anthem of the USA, The Star Spangled Banner.
See also
- Argent, Mark (ed.). Recollections of R.J.S. Stevens: an organist in Georgian London. London: Macmillan, 1992. 314 p.