Stephen Codman (c. 1796 – 6 October 1852) was a Canadian composer of English descent. His known compositions all date from before 1835, and mainly consist of works for solo voice or vocal ensembles.
Early life and education Codman was born in Norwich, England. He was a pupil of John Christmas Beckwith and William Crotch.Elaine Keillor. Music in Canada: Capturing Landscape and Diversity. McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP; 18 March 2008. . p. 116.
Career In 1816 Codman came to Canada to assume the post of organist at Holy Trinity Anglican Cathedral in Quebec City,Daniel Mendoza de Arce. Music in North America and the West Indies from the Discovery to 1850: A Historical Survey. Scarecrow Press; 2006. . p. 251. most likely succeeding John Bentley. He remained in that post up until his death in Quebec City 36 years later.
Two of his songs, The Fairy SongMusic Magazine. Vol. 12-13. Barrett & Colgrass; 1989. p. 15. and They Are Not All Sweet Nightingales, were published by Goulding, D'Almaine, and Co in 1827, placing them among the oldest published Canadian compositions.Stephen Codman canadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved 18 January 2018.Bibliographical Society of Canada. Papers of the Bibliographical Society of Canada: Cahiers de la Société Bibliographique Du Canada. Vol. 12-16. Bibliographical Society of Canada; 1974. p. 41."Canada 150: A Thoughtful Retrospective on a Lifetime of Can-con" . BeatRoute, 26 June 2017 He also wrote an instrumental piece for the organ, titled "Invocation".Schirmer history of music. Schirmer Books; 1 February 1982. . p. 913.
Codman died in Quebec City on 6 October 1852."NORFOLK ANNALS", compiled from the Norfolk Chronicle by Charles Mackie. Volume II. Norwich, Ontario. via Project Gutenberg.
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