Henry Charles Banister 1831-1897

[giles.enders]

Henry Charles Banister Born 13 June 1831 London - Died  20 November 1897 Streatham, Greater London

His initial musical training was with his father, the celebrated cellist Henry Joshua Banister*.  In 1846 he won a scholarship to The Royal Academy of Music, where he studied under Potter.  He subsequently became a professor there and from 1880 was a professor at The Guildhall School of Music.  He also taught at The Royal Normal College for the Blind.

He gave private lessons without payment to some former pupils from the Royal Normal College.  He went to meet one former pupil at his local station to escort her to his house for further tuition and fell dead at her feet.  Being blind it took her some while to realise what had happened.

He died while residing at 9 Sternhold Avenue, Streatham.  He is buried in Crystal Palace cemetery

Orchestral

Symphony No.1 in D  1847
Symphony No.2 in E flat  1848
Symphony No.3 in A minor  1850
Symphony No.4 in A  1858
Overture in E flat minor  1849
Overture in E major  1852
Overture 'Cymbaline'  1852
Overture in E 'The Serenade' 
Overture in B flat 'From Sorrow to Joy'
Intermezzo in E  1875
Capriccio in A minor for piano and orchestra
Fantasy for piano and orchestra in D  1863
Andante and Rondo in E flat for piano and orchestra

Chamber

'The Cuckoo's minuet' for piano, two violins, cello and toys.  1886  pub. by Stanley Lucas & Weber
String Quartet in F sharp minor  1848
String Quartet in D minor  1850
String Quartet in E minor  1861

Piano

Three bagatelles  Op.2
Three bagatelles  Op.5
Seven variations on an original air  Op.6
Sonata for piano, four hands in F sharp minor  Op.7   pub. by Leader & Cock
Second air and variations  Op.9  1854
Trifles  Op.10  1854
Tarentella in B flat  Op.11
'Coralie'  mazurka  Op.13
'La Gondoletta'  barcarolle  Op.14  1861
Capricietto  Op.18
'Felice, ma non gajo'  Op.19
'Good Wishes'  Op.22  pub. by Stanley Lucas, Weber  1869
Souvenirs - two pieces  Op.26  pub. by Stanley Lucas, Weber  1869
Ricordanza  Op.27
Fairwell  Op.29
Andante with variations in F major - piano four hands  Op.31
Romance  Op.36   pub. by Stanley Lucas, Weber
Fantasia in F minor  Op.35  pub. by Stanley Lucas, Weber  1874
Allegretto alla marcia  1879
Sonata in E
Sonata in B flat
Sonata in F sharp minor
Sonata in F minor
Second sonata for piano duet in G minor
Third sonata for piano duet in A flat
Fourth sonata for piano duet in A minor

Song

'Lay a garland on my hearse' canzonet  Op.1  1846
'Go, you may call it madness folly'  canzonet   words by S Rogers Op.4
'Gather ye rose-buds'  part song  words by Herrick Op.8
'The Hemlock Tree'  translated from the German by Longfellow  Op.12  1858
'Rose, Violet' words by H Coleridge  Op.16/1  'Maiden, wrap thy mantle round thee'  words by H K White Op.16/2  'O heart, my heart' words by D M Muloch Op.16/3
'Morning in May' for three sopranos  words by H Coleridge Op.15
'The wind goes by' - sacred song  Op.17
Two Winter songs - 'Winter and Waste' words by E Stock ,  'A Widow Bird' words by P B Shelley Op.20
'Summer Days'  trio for female voices  words by E Stock  Op.21
'Bonnie wee thing'  words by R Burns  Op.23
'The Lark and the Nightingale'  words by H Coleridge  Op.24
'Satisfy us with thy mercy' - sacred song/anthem  Op.25
'How dies the Day - part song words by E Stock Op.28
'Hail, bright Spring time'  five part song  wards by E Stock  Op.30  1878
'My voice shalt though hear in morning'  Op.32
'I will lay me down in peace'  sacred song  Op.33

Choral

Sacred cantata for solo voices, chorus and orchestra  1851
'The Maiden's Holiday'  cantata
'The Sea Fairies'  cantata  words by Tennyson


*  Father;  Henry Joshua Banister 1803-1847  Cellist
    Grand-father;  Charles William Banister  1768-1831  Composer.

Henry's sister was Sarah Banys Banister  4.8.1829-6.4.1902

[Gareth Vaughan]

Do you know whether any of his music has survived - other than the small number of published songs and pianoforte pieces listed on COPAC?  I suppose the RAM might have some of his MSS.

[eschiss1]

One thing that has survived of his is a biography of G.A. Macfarren... (I knew that name looked familiar; I've used his biography for some information.) (Among the small number of piano pieces -is- a piano sonata op.7, though, so not everything listed in Worldcat is a miniature.)

[FBerwald]

Never heard of this particular composer ... Sounds like the love child of Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister!

[FBerwald]

Just came across this while searching for more info on this elusive composer.
"Manuscript score of Henry Charles Banister's Symphony no. 3 in A minor "
https://archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/3657

[Gareth Vaughan]

How fascinating. A very recent acquisition. The MS record says "May 2019", acquired from Blackwells (the bookshop). I wonder how they got it.

[Reverie]

Just came across this while searching for more info on this elusive composer.
"Manuscript score of Henry Charles Banister's Symphony no. 3 in A minor "
https://archives.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/repositories/2/resources/3657

Wouldn't it be great to a a have a squint at the score. Even just a page or two?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Absolutely.

[eschiss1]

Neat, only acquired in 2019!
I forget, has the British Library begun doing any on-site score scanning-and-hosting (that is, maintaining scans of items/downloadable pdfs/etc. on their website) (beyond the occasional special project like Mozart's notebook, etc.) the way certain other libraries have (BNF, Sibley, SBB, etc.?)

[Gareth Vaughan]

Not as far as I am aware, Eric. The BL doesn't seem to do much of that, alas.