ABSTRACT
Charles Villiers Stanford has been noted as a pedagogue - in the widest sense of the word - as well as a composer, and, in the view of many, his work as a teacher of composition is of greater significance than his own music. Although, from a pedagogical perspective, Stanford's work as a teacher of composition is of greatest significance, he also made important contributions as a conductor and writer. Stanford was unsparing, enthusiastic, almost ruthless in the thoroughness of his preparations and rehearsals. Stanford's achievement as a conductor was to help broaden the repertory performed in Britain. That Stanford's reputation as a teacher of composition has predominated over his renown as a composer was, perhaps, inevitable, as he taught so many people who became significant composers in their own right, their plurality overshadowing his singularity. Stanford's writings give further insights into his methods and aesthetics.
