Charles H. Steggall (3 June 1826 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

– 7 June 1905 in London) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

hymnodist A hymnwriter (or hymn writer, hymnist, hymnodist, hymnographer, etc.) is someone who writes the text, music, or both of hymns. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the composition of hymns dates back to before the time of David, who composed many of ...

and

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Early life

The son of R. W. Steggall (of the London-based harness and saddlery maker Whippy, Steggall and Fleming), Charles Steggall was educated at

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

and then studied under

William Sterndale Bennett Sir William Sterndale Bennett (13 April 18161 February 1875) was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. B ...

at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, where he subsequently became Professor of organ and harmony.

Later career

Steggall worked as an

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

for many

parishes A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

including: Christ Chapel,

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is ...

; Christ Church,

Lancaster Gate Lancaster Gate is a mid-19th century development in the Bayswater district of central London, immediately to the north of Kensington Gardens. It consists of two long terraces of houses overlooking the park, with a wide gap between them openi ...

and

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

, He was also an examiner for the DMus degree. As its first Hon Secretary, he played an important role under

to form the Bach Society, forerunner to the Bach Choir in London. He taught organ studies to Helen Johnston (a student at

Queen's College, London Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18 with an adjoining prep school for girls aged 4–11 located in the City of Westminster, London. Founded in 1848 by theologian and social reformer Frederick Denison Maurice along wit ...

) whom Sterndale Bennett had chosen to translate the

St Matthew Passion The ''St Matthew Passion'' (german: Matthäus-Passion, links=-no), BWV 244, is a '' Passion'', a sacred oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander. It sets ...

from German into English for the first performance in London on 6 April 1854. He edited the first English edition of Bach's Six Motets (BWV 225–230). He was one of the first twenty-one members of the

Royal College of Organists The Royal College of Organists (RCO) is a charity and membership organisation based in the United Kingdom, with members worldwide. Its role is to promote and advance organ playing and choral music, and it offers music education, training and de ...

. In 1906 he republished the Complete edition of the

Hymns Ancient and Modern ''Hymns Ancient and Modern'' is a hymnal in common use within the Church of England, a result of the efforts of the Oxford Movement. The hymnal was first published in 1861. The organization publishing it has now been formed into a charitabl ...

. He died in Notting Hill, London.

Family

There were six children, the youngest being composer and organist Reginald Steggall (17 April 1867 — 15 November 1938). Reginald studied organ at the Royal Academy of Music under his father, and composition under

George Macfarren George Macfarren (1788–1843) was a playwright and the father of composer George Alexander Macfarren. Life He was born in London 5 September 1788. He was the son of George Macfarren. He was educated chiefly at Archbishop Tenison's school in Cast ...

and Ebenezer Prout. He became organist of the Church of St. Anne, Soho, and on the death of his father succeeded him as organist and director of the choir to the Honorable Societies of Lincoln's Inn. Reginald Steggall's compositions include works for organ, choral music for the church and large scale orchestral pieces (two symphonies, the ''Variations on an Original Theme'', and the ''Concertstück'' for organ and orchestra).Leach, Gerald. ''British Composer Profiles'' (3rd. edition, 2012), p 194

External links

Cyber Hymnal BiographyOxford Biography Index entry
* *

References

* F.G.E., "Charles Steggall", ''The Musical Times'' 46, No. 749 (July 1905), pp. 449–45

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steggall, Charles British composers 1826 births 1905 deaths English hymnwriters Christian hymnwriters Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge 19th-century English musicians Associates of the Royal College of Organists