Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Samuel Sebastian Wesley (14 August 1810 – 19 April 1876) was an English organist and composer.

He was born in London, the son of the composer Samuel Wesley and his partner Sarah Suter, and grandson of Charles Wesley. After singing in the choir of the Chapel Royal as a boy, he embarked on a career as a musician, becoming organist of Hereford Cathedral in 1832. He moved to Exeter Cathedral three years later, and subsequently held appointments at Leeds Parish Church, Winchester Cathedral, and Gloucester Cathedral. Famous as an organist in his day, he composed almost exclusively for the Church of England. His better known anthems include Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Blessed be the God and Father, The Wilderness, and Ascribe unto the Lord. They are rather late examples of verse anthems, which contrast unison and contrapuntal sections with smaller, more intimate passages for solo voice or voices; some are of considerable length and elaboration, as is his Evening Service in E. The popular short anthem Lead me Lord is an extract from Praise the Lord, O my soul.

References

• 'Samuel Sebastian Wesley', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 1 October 2004) http://www.grovemusic.com
• "Samuel Sebastian Wesley: A Life" by Peter Horton (Oxford University Press)

External links

• Samuel Sebastian Wesley free scores in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Samuel Sebastian Wesley free scores in the Werner Icking Music Archive
• Listen to a free recording of Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace from Coro Nostro, a mixed chamber choir based in Leicester, UK.