Astronomer and Musician

Friedrich Wilhelm Herschel (always known as William) was born in Hanover on 15th November 1738 into a musical family. His father was a bandmaster in the Hanoverian Guards, and it was at the Garrison School that William received his education, excelling in mathematics, languages and music.

Posted to England with his regiment in 1756 to guard against a possible French invasion — the Seven Years War was raging —William learnt English and was determined to become a musician at the close of hostilities. Initially he earned money by copying music, but then took up several appointments around the north of England before moving to Bath as organist at the new Octagon Chapel. He was invited to become oboist in Linley’s famous orchestra which played daily in the Pump Room at a time when Bath was the most fashionable place for the gentry.

Herschel and his sister Caroline — herself a singer — moved into 19 New King Street in September 1777. Here they stayed for two years before moving to a house in Rivers Street.

Although William was professionally a musician and composer, he had always been fascinated with astronomy. His first recorded observations date back to February 1766 when he looked at Venus and an eclipse of the moon. Initially a casual hobby, astronomy began to take over. Learning the skill of making and polishing lenses and mirrors, William constructed his own telescope. Finding his Rivers Street home unsatisfactory, Herschel returned to 19 New King Street, and before the move back was complete, he set up his telescope in the garden. There, on 13th March 1781, he discovered the planet now known as Uranus.

Ironically, this discovery put paid to Herschel’s sojourn in Bath. William’s fame spread and in the spring of 1782 he was summoned by fellow Hanoverian, King George III (a keen amateur scientist), to Windsor, and to bring with him his latest telescope which was far superior to anything then at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. The King and Queen, together with other members of the Royal Family, were able to observe Saturn and Jupiter as well as other celestial objects. Herschel was granted a Civil List pension of £200 per year by the King on condition that he live near Windsor and make himself available to show interesting celestial objects to members of his family and their guests. Thus Herschel’s musical career and his connection with 19 New King Street came to an end and the City of Bath was the poorer for it.

However, the musical genes persist, and a descendant of William, Anthony Herschel Hill, is also a composer. Among Anthony’s compositions published by S&B are Four Pieces for Cello and Piano (Ref H178 £6.00); Four Pieces for Double Bass and Piano (Ref H202 £6.30); Two Pieces for Viola and Piano (Ref H179 £6.00) and Ubi Caritas for SATB (Ref W129 £2.15).

19 New King Street is now The William Herschel Museum.  www.bath-preservation-trust.org.uk

Welcome

To begin this blog we will be including some of the most popular articles that have featured in Stainer & Bell's award winning newsletter 'The Bell' - started 25 years ago in 1987.

Below is a brief history of Stainer & Bell, together with details about our current areas of activity. For a more detailed account of the fascinating Stainer & Bell story, we have compiled a series of pages to mark our first 100 years.

The Birth

Founded in 1907, Stainer & Bell Ltd is a small, independent, family run business, specialising in the publication of quality music and books.

There was neither a Mr Stainer nor a Mr Bell. Tradition has it that the six original partners chose the firm's name because it had a creditworthy ring to it. However, a direct family link with the present management team can be traced back to 1912.

Childhood

Composers published in the early years included Charles Villiers Stanford, Percy Buck, Harold Darke, Thomas Dunhill, Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Works by all these writers are still in print, and we are especially pleased to publish many works by Ralph Vaughan Williams, including A Sea Symphony, Toward the Unknown Region, Five Mystical Songs and A London Symphony.

Adult Years/Parenthood

Later, the publishing pedigree was enhanced by the acquisition of Augener, famous for its practical editions of the classical masters; Joseph Williams, one of the oldest British publishing houses, founded in 1808; and Galliard, bringing to the parent company a fine range of cello music.

Carefully nurtured over many years, the catalogue now contains some of the richest treasures from three centuries of British musical achievement, including works by Frank Bridge, Alan Bush, Geoffrey Bush, William Byrd, Frederick Delius, Edward Elgar, Herbert Howells, John Ireland, Gordon Jacob, Hubert Parry, Henry Purcell and Peter Warlock, and acclaimed tutors and textbooks by Dorothy Bradley & Raymond Tobin, Adam Carse, Neil Mackay, Stewart Macpherson and William Squire.

The four principal contemporary composers in the catalogue are, Morgan Hayes, Bayan Northcott, Rhian Samuel and Roger Steptoe. Their challenging range of songs, concertos and other instrumental pieces is complemented by exciting new educational works from the younger generation of specialist music teachers such as Peter Lawson, Patric Standford and Jeffrey Whitton.

The company has had a number of homes over the years, but in 1991 it moved to Victoria House, a spacious turn-of-the-century building in North London. Up-to-the-minute technology ensures that music in a wide variety of styles is speedily invoiced and despatched to numerous countries throughout the world.
Click on the picture of Victoria House to come in and meet the staff.

100th Birthday...

2007 saw the company celebrating its 100th birthday. A healthy, vibrant and lively centenarian, S&B is actively involved in a diverse range of publishing activities. New hymnody, scholarly volumes, jazz publications, educational music, 'light' organ music and CD-ROMS, combine with the extensive back catalogue to make the rich musical resource that is the Stainer & Bell catalogue.