John Stanley (1713-1786), blind from the age of three, was a pupil of Maurice Greene (1694-1775) and, like his teacher, became master of the King’s Band of Music (from 1779) and organist of the Chapel Royal (from 1782). He was also closely associated with Handel, conducting performances of his oratorios after Handel’s death. Stanley’s six trumpet voluntaries, two each in his Opus 5, 6, and 7, are - together with those of Boyce and Greene - among the latest examples of the genre and represent the culmination of virtuosity within it. (See: Greene/Boyce, A Suite of Trumpet Voluntaries, published by The Brass Press).

The first movement of the present suite was taken from Stanley’s Opus 7, No.5; the second and third movements come from Op.6, No.5. The first movement demands great agility of the solo trumpeter and is constructed entirely of echo effects, the organ literally repeating the preceding trumpet phrases. The last movement contains a particularly pompous and exciting trumpet theme. In the case of this single movement, I have taken more editorial freedom than usual, not only expanding the original form by creating repeats not envisioned by Stanley, but also providing for an organ with pedals, although we believe English organs of the time to have been without pedals. (The following sections are editorial additions: bar 12, starting with the organ bass, second beat, through bar 24, first beat inclusive; from the quarter-note pickup to bar 33 up to the pickup to bar 41; and from bar 70, second beat in the organ bass, through bar 94, first beat inclusive.)

The original sources for this edition are as follows : First movement - Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord Composed by John Stanley, Opera settima (London, J. Johnson, 1754). Second and third movements - Ten Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord Composed by John Stanley, Opera sesta (London, J. Johnson, 1752). The Suite is published here in the original key of D and in a separate collection in Bb, the trumpet part remaining the same in both cases. All dynamic markings and breath marks are editorial. The original registration indications are given in normal type. Other editorial suggestions (trills, slurs) are differentiated from original indications by the use of square brackets or broken lines, respectively.

Edward H. Tarr