Samuel Sebastian Wesley, English composer, organist and teacher, was considered the greatest composer of church music during his time, in the English cathedral tradition between Purcell and Stanford.
His genius as an organist was such that church authorities left unnoticed his often questionable conduct like his outspoken views on the defects of cathedral music conditions. He was a tireless advocate and fighter for improvements in the standards of the Anglican Church music.
Early Life of Samuel Sebastian Wesley
S.S. Wesley was born in London on August 14, 1810, the son of Samuel Wesley and the grandson of Charles Wesley. He was named after his father and his father's idol, Johann Sebastian Bach. He came from the family tree of John Wesley, an Anglican clergyman and the founder of Methodism.
His first teacher was his father, then aged 10, he became a chorister at the Chapel Royal. Six years later, at the age of 16, he was organist at three London churches before becoming organist to Hereford Cathedral in 1832. Other appointments followed after this. He was awarded the Bachelor of Mus and Doctor of Music from Oxford 1839.
Organist and Composer
Wesley was the first organist in England to insist on the provision of a full pedal-board. He concentrated his creative efforts on service music and devotional hymn tunes, for example the famous Aurelia, ‘The Church’s one foundation.’
His music was almost all composed for the Church of England. He wrote much sacred choral music including Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Blessed be the God and Father, The Wilderness and Ascribe unto the Lord.
Samuel S. Wesley Influence and Legacy
He held appointments at Hereford, Exeter in 1835, Winchester from 1849 until 1865, Gloucester Cathedrals until his death, and Leeds Parish Church. In 1850 he became organ professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Wesley's compositions were of high quality and many are still frequently sung and played. His influence was exerted through his pupils and their successors, also of his musical editorship of Kemble's Psalms and Hymns 1864. His The European Psalmist in 1872 contained 733 hymn tunes, 130 being his own compositions.
In 1871, he conducted the St Matthew Passion at Gloucester, a Three Choirs Festival. He continued his father’s promotion of Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. He died in Gloucester on 19 April 1876, aged 66.
Sources:
The Grove Dictionary of Music, edited by Stanley Sadie, Macmillan Press, 1994
The Oxford dictionary of Music, edited by Michel Kennedy, Second Edition, OUP, 1994
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