In the mid 1880s, Parry was struggling to establish himself as a composer. In 1886, he was disappointed when his one attempt at opera,
Guenever, was rejected by the impresario
Carl Rosa. Shortly after that setback, Parry was commissioned by
Charles Villiers Stanford to compose a piece for the
Bach Choir of London, of which Parry was a member. Stanford, one of the first British musicians to recognise Parry's talent, called him the greatest English composer since
Purcell. Stanford had originally intended to perform an existing work of Parry's, the 1885 cantata
The Glories of our Blood and State. As the concert was to mark the Golden Jubilee of
Queen Victoria, it was thought that such lines in the text as "Sceptre and crown must tumble down" made the work unsuitable for the occasion. The main item in the concert was the first London performance of
Hector Berlioz's
Te Deum (1849), dedicated to the queen's late husband,
Albert, Prince Consort. Berlioz's work is on an enormous scale, and would have overshadowed any companion piece other than one of the highest quality. Reviewing the concert,
The Times said of
Blest Pair of Sirens: The work was an immediate success, and was quickly taken up by other choirs. The following year it was given alongside
Sullivan's
The Golden Legend at the
Three Choirs Festival. Recognised as "one of the outstanding English choral works", ==Text==