Search - Charles Villiers Stanford, Christopher Howell :: Charles Villiers Stanford: Cello Sonata No. 1; Cello Sonata No. 2; Ballata

Charles Villiers Stanford (1854-1924) was an important late-Romantic Irish-British composer who is known to the general public today mainly for his lovely short choral piece "The Blue Bird." As with so many neglected masters, time has shown there is a good deal more to this long-lived composer than one small piece. Stanford was among a handful of composers in his time that worked at enriching the tiny English repertoire of chamber music. His cello sonatas are among his finest chamber works and are not, like those of so many of his comtemporaries, slavish imititions of Brahms.