Page:A Dictionary of Music and Musicians vol 3.djvu/723

Rh survived him for nearly 43 years, dying in the house in which she was married, Feb. 22, 1882. [ W. H. H. ]

STEPHENS,, nephew of the preceding, was born in the Edgeware Road, March 18, 1821. Displaying early tokens of musical organisation, he was placed under Cipriani Potter for pianoforte, J. A. Hamilton for harmony, counterpoint, and composition, and Henry Blagrove for the violin. In 1843 he was elected organist of St. Mark's, Myddelton Square, and subsequently held the same office at Trinity Church, Paddington, 1846, St. John's, Hampstead 1856, St. Mark's, St. John's Wood, 1862–63, St. Clement Danes, 1864–69, and St. Saviour's, Paddington, 1872–75. In 1850 he was elected an associate, and in 1857 a member of the Philharmonic Society, of which he has repeatedly been chosen a director. In 1865 he was elected a Fellow of the College of Organists, in 1870 an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music, and in 1877 a licentiate, honoris causâ, of Trinity College, London. His first important composition was a trio for pianoforte, violin and violoncello, produced at the Society of British Musicians, himself performing the pianoforte part, and he afterwards produced a symphony and several concert overtures of great merit, No. 4 of which, 'A Dream of happiness,' was played at the Crystal Palace, Nov. 13, 1875. He has also composed many works for pianoforte and organ, and much vocal music, comprising anthems and services, songs, ballads, part-songs, etc. His part-song, 'Come, fill ye right merrily,' gained the prize given by Mr. Henry Leslie's Choir in 1858, and in April 1879 he was awarded both the first and second prizes given by Trinity College, London, for the best string quartet. Although an able pianist, he has, for some years past, rarely appeared in public, having devoted himself almost exclusively to teaching, in which he is much esteemed. [ W. H. H. ]

STEPHENS,, Mus. Doc., educated as a chorister in Gloucester Cathedral, in 1746 succeeded Edward Thomson as organist of Salisbury Cathedral. He graduated as Mus. Doc. at Cambridge in 1763, conducted the Gloucester Festival in 1766, and died Dec. 15 [App. p.796 "Dec. 1"], 1780. A volume of 'Cathedral Music' by him, edited by Highmore Skeats, was published in 1805. [ W. H. H. ]

STERKEL, (sometimes styled Abbé Sterkel), born at Würzburg, Dec. 3, 1750, was a distinguished amateur. Though music formed a part of his education it was only a part. He went through his college course at Würzburg university, took orders, and became vicar and organist of Neumünster. In 1778 he was called to the court of the Elector of Mayence at Aschaffenburg as chaplain and pianist. Next year the Elector sent him on a journey through Italy; success attended him everywhere, and at Naples he brought out an opera, 'Farnace,' with éclat. In 1781 he returned to Mayence and was promoted to a canonry. All this time he was composing as well as playing in all departments of music. He wrote about this date some German songs which were great favourites, and he formed some excellent pupils—among composers Hofmann and Zulehner, among singers Grünbaum and Kirschbaum. In September 1791 occurred the great musical event of Sterkel's life, though he probably did not know its significance—his meeting with Beethoven, then a youth of twenty. Beethoven came to Aschaffenburg with the band of the Elector of Bonn, and was taken by Ries and Simrock to call on the great player, whose reputation was something like that of Liszt at the present day. Sterkel was the first great executant that Beethoven had heard, and the extreme refinement and finish of his style evidently struck him much. He watched him with the closest attention, and not unnaturally declined to play in his turn, till Sterkel induced him to do so by speaking of his 24 variations on Righini's 'Venni Amore.' They had been published only a few months previously, and Sterkel declared that they were so hard that he did not believe even the composer could play them. Beethoven played what he could recollect, and improvised others fully equalling the originals in difficulty—but the curious thing was that he adopted Sterkel's delicate style all through. They do not appear to have met again. In 1793 Sterkel succeeded Righini as Capellmeister to the Elector, and this threw him still more into serious composition, but the French war forced the Elector to leave Mayence, and his Capellmeister returned to Wurzburg. In 1805 he became Capellmeister at Ratisbon, where all his old energy revived, and he taught and composed with the greatest vigour and success. The war of 1813 at length drove him back from Ratisbon to Wurzburg, and there he died Oct. 21, 1817.

The list of Sterkel's published compositions is immense. It embraces 10 symphonies; 2 overtures; a stringed quintet; 6 string trios; 6 do. duos; 6 PF. concertos; a very large number of sonatas for PF. both for 2 and 4 hands; variations, and minor pieces; 10 collections of songs for voice and PF.; Italian canzonets, duets, etc. The number of editions which some of these went through, shows how widely popular Sterkel was in his day. [ G. ]

STERLING,, born Jan. 23, 1850(?) at Sterlingville, in the State of New York, though American by birth and parentage is of English extraction, tracing her descent through William Bradford, one of the Pilgrim Fathers who crossed in 'The Mayflower,' and was the second Governor of Plymouth Colony, from the family of John Bradford, martyr, burnt in 1555.

She possessed, even in childhood, a voice of extraordinary range, which afterwards settled into a contralto of great richness and volume, with a compass from E♭ in the Bass stave to the top F in the Treble one. Her first serious study of singing began in 1867 in New York under Signor Abella, better known as the husband of Mme. d'Angri. She came to England in 1868 and remained a few months, singing chiefly in the provinces, en route for Germany. There she