Grove's dictionary of music and musicians

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STEPHENS STEELING 693
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 Holy Trinity, 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 Philhai-monic Society, of which he was.
repeatedly chosen a director. In 1865 he was
elected a Fellow ofthe College ofOrganists, in 1 8 7
an honorary member of the Royal Academy of
Music, and in 1877 a licentiate, honoris causd, 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 ; his works also include several concert
overtures of merit, No. 4 of which, A Dream
'
of Happiness,' was played at the Crystal Palace,
Nov. 13, 1875. He 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
meiTily,' 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. [His symphony in G minor
was performed at the Philharmonic Concert in
March 1891. He died in London, July 13, 1892,
and was buried at Kensal Green.] w. h. h.
STEPHENS, John, Mus.D., educated as a
chorister in Gloucester Cathedral, in 1746
succeeded Edward Thomson as organist of
Salisbury Cathedral. He graduated as Mus.D.
at Cambridge in 1763, conducted the Gloucester
Festival in 1766, and died Dec. 15, 1780.
'
A volume of Cathedral Music ' by him,
edited by Highmore Skeats, was published
in 1805. w. H. H.
STEEKEL, JoHASN Feanz Xaver (Abb^
Sterkel), bom at Wurzburg, Deo. 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 Wiirzburg
University, took orders and became vicar and
organist of Neumiinster. In 1778 he was called
to the Court of the Elector of Mainz at Asohaffenburg
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,' in 1780,
with ^clat. In 1781 he returned to Mainz 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
Griinbaum 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 Eies and Simrock to call
on the great player, whose reputation was something
like that of Liszt in after years. 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
twenty -four 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 difiiculty
—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 Eighini as Capellmeister to the
Elector, and this threw him still more into serious
composition ; but the French war forced the
Elector to leave Mainz, and his Capellmeister
returned to Wurzburg. In 1805 he became
Capellmeister at Eatisbon, 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
Eatisbon to Wiirzburg, and there he died Oct.
21, 1817.
The list of Sterkel's published compositions
is immense. [See the Quellen-Leidkon,.'] Itembraces
10 symphonies ; 2 overtures ;
a string
quintet ; a quartet for PF. and strings ; 6 string
trios ; 6 do. duos ; 6 PF. concertos ;
a very
large number of sonatas for PF. both for two and
four 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. [A
Mass, and a Te Deum are in MS.] G.
STEELING, Antoinette, born Jan. 23,
1850 (?), at SterlingviUe, in the State of New
York.
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 eb to /". Her first
serious study of singing began in 1867 in New
York under Signer 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 was first a pupil of Mme. Marchesi
at Cologne, then of Pauline Viardot at Baden-
Baden, and lastly of Manuel Garcia in London.
She returned to America in 1871, and soon took
a high position as a concert-singer. On May