John Stanley

STANLEY, John. b. London, 17 January 1712; d. London, 19 May 1786. He was blinded at the age of two as the result of an accident, and took up music as a pastime. He had organ lessons from Maurice Greene at St Paul’s Cathedral, and was so quick to learn that he was appointed organist of All Hallows, Bread Street, at the age of 12. In 1726, as ‘John Stanley, the Blind Youth’ he was a successful candidate for the post of organist of St Andrew’s, Holborn; later he held this in conjunction with the organist’s post at the chapel of the Inner Temple. He graduated BMus at Oxford in 1729, the youngest person ever to do so. Stanley had a remarkable musical memory. Both at St Andrew’s and at the Inner...

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