Life

Stephen Elvey was the elder brother, and for some time the teacher, of Sir George Elvey

George Job Elvey

Sir George Job Elvey , English organist and composer, was born at Canterbury on the 27th of March 1816. He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under Highmore Skeats, the organist...

. He was born in Canterbury

Canterbury

Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....

 in June 1805, and received his training as chorister of the cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral

Canterbury Cathedral in Canterbury, Kent, is one of the oldest and most famous Christian structures in England and forms part of a World Heritage Site....

 under Highmore Skeats. In 1830 he succeeded Bennett as organist of New College, Oxford

New College, Oxford

New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...

, and won a reputation for his playing. He became Mus. Bac. Oxon. 1831, and Mus. Doc. 1838. He was organist of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin

University Church of St Mary the Virgin

The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of Oxford's parish churches and the centre from which the University of Oxford grew...

, and from 1846 organist of St. John's College

St John's College, Oxford

__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...

.

While William Crotch

William Crotch

William Crotch was an English composer, organist and artist.Born in Norwich to a master carpenter he showed early musical talent . The three and a half year old Master William Crotch was taken to London by his ambitious mother, where he not only played on the organ of the Chapel Royal in St....

  simultaneously held the offices of professor of music and choragus at Oxford, Elvey acted as his deputy in all professorial matters for some years until Crotch died at the end of 1847. In 1848 the offices were divided, Sir Henry Bishop becoming professor, and Dr. Elvey choragus. He retained his appointments until his death in October 1860, at the age of fifty-five.

Works

His Evening Service in continuation of Croft's Morning Service in A dates from about 1825, when Elvey was lay-clerk at Canterbury Cathedral. The Oxford Psalm Book (1852), containing six original tunes, was inspired by the 'increasing attention to music shown by the congregational character of the singing before university sermons;' The Psalter, or Canticles and Psalms of David, Pointed for Chanting upon a New Principle (1856) and the Canticles (1858) went through many editions.