Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Samuel Sebastian Wesley composed almost exclusively for the Anglican church. His anthems and hymn tunes, from extended verse settings to Aurelia and Lead me, Lord, still shape cathedral and parish worship.
He wrote music that contrasts bold unison and contrapuntal writing with more intimate solo passages. Larger works such as Blessed be the God and Father, The Wilderness, Ascribe unto the Lord and the Service in E remain staples of the English cathedral repertoire. Shorter extracts and hymn tunes, including Hereford and the widely sung Aurelia, travel easily into everyday worship. Chromatic colour sits inside a style built for liturgy rather than the concert hall.
Compositions by Samuel Sebastian Wesley appear on
Songs and Praises
Favourite hymns from the Australian Hymn Book, Vol. 3. Choir and organ fill Trinity College Chapel, Melbourne, with the thrilling sound that hymn lovers know so well.
When David heard that Absalom was slain
The Choir of Ormond College specialised in liturgical music of the 16th and 20th centuries. This recording also includes psalm settings, among them Allegri’s Miserere, a setting of the penitential Psalm 51 once reserved for the Sistine Chapel in Holy Week.