Stephen Adams was a pseudonym used by William Maybrick for a number of compositions, including The Holy City in 1892. Born in Liverpool, Maybrick studied piano with Carl Reinecke and Ignaz Moscheles in Leipzig, and singing at the Milan Conservatory. As a baritone soloist, he appeared in performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah and Wagner’s Lohengrin. He began composing his own songs in the 1870s. The Holy City was his last collaboration with lyricist Frederick E. Weatherly, who is credited with the words to Danny Boy.

Program Notes by Charley Samson, copyright 2021.