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Not many religious composers are knighted. John Stainer was. He wrote a masterpiece of Christian religious music that was compared in its day with Handel's Messiah and Mendelssohn's Elijah. Today almost everyone agrees that was a bit too high to rank The Crucifixion, but other oratorios cannot claim its strong evangelical emphasis’. (Christian history institute’)

Born in 1840, John Stainer lost the sight of an eye in a childhood accident. This did not deter him from becoming a leading organist of his age and a musical educator at Oxford. For years he served at St. Paul's, London, first as a chorister and then as organist. Contemporaries said he raised the cathedral's standard of music to new heights of excellence, not least by enlarging the choir staff. In addition to his famous oratorio, he wrote over 230 services for St. Paul's cathedral as well as anthems, hymns cantatas, and another oratorio. He founded the Oxford Philharmonic Society. Queen Victoria knighted him in 1888.

After he resigned as organist of St. Paul's, Stainer faithfully attended St. Cross Church, Oxford although he held no musical office there. He was active in all the affairs of the church, which later installed a stained glass window in his memory. The window shows angels with musical instruments adoring the Lamb of God. After his death, the Vicar wrote to his widow, "no-one could make up to us for the loss of one who so thoroughly gave himself to help forward all that was for the good of the people."

When Stainer died in March 31, 1901, his music was passing out of fashion. In the early twentieth century, his work was derided. But now, more than a century later, The Crucifixion is still played around the world. Churches frequently put it on and its choruses are popular among professional performers.