Sir John Stainer

Sir John Stainer was born in Southwark, London, in 1840 and entered the English cathedral tradition as a chorister at St Paul's Cathedral. Still in his teens, he became organist of St Michael's College, Tenbury, under the mentorship of Sir Frederick Ouseley. He later served at Magdalen College, Oxford, and from 1872 to 1888 as organist of St Paul's Cathedral, where his work in choir training, repertoire, and music education helped strengthen the cathedral's musical establishment.

Stainer was also a teacher, theorist, editor, and scholar. He served as an inspector of music in schools, taught at the Royal College of Music, became Heather Professor of Music at Oxford in 1889, and was knighted in 1888. His publications ranged from instructional works on harmony and the organ to studies of early music; his collaboration with H. R. Bramley on Christmas Carols New and Old helped transmit several carols in forms that remained widely used.

His melody now paired with Mary James's All for Jesus originated in The Crucifixion, his 1887 Passion meditation with words by William John Sparrow-Simpson. It was written for Sparrow-Simpson's different closing hymn, not for James's 1871 text. Later hymnals reused the melody under names including ALL FOR JESUS and WYCLIFF. Stainer died in Verona in 1901 while traveling in Italy.