Samuel Sebastian Wesley today belongs among the icons of English
church music, and regular listeners to BBC Radio 3's Choral Evensong will
know many of his compositions. In his own time he was in constant conflict
with the ecclesiastical authorities and his style of composition met severe
criticism. He in his turn expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of
affairs in liturgical music and did so in no uncertain terms.
He was born into a musical family. His father Samuel was close to Mendelssohn
who was also largely responsible for the introduction of the music of
Johann Sebastian Bach to England. Out of admiration for Bach Wesley
gave his son the second name of Sebastian. His grandfather Charles,
although a clergyman, was also involved in music, especially as a writer
of hymns, of which he is said to have written over eight thousand. He
was the brother of John, the founder of Methodism.
Samuel Sebastian sang as a chorister in the Chapel Royal, but as an
adult started working as a choral conductor in London and as a free-lance
pianist. In the latter capacity he worked at the English Opera House and
later Covent Garden. His career in the church began in 1832 when he was
appointed organist of Hereford Cathedral. It was the beginning of a journey
through a procession of cathedrals, largely following the same pattern:
success at first, but soon turning into conflict. In 1835 he moved to Exeter
Cathedral, then to Leeds Parish Church in 1842. From 1849 to 1865 he worked
at Winchester Cathedral and he ended his career at Gloucester Cathedral
(1865-1876). Apart from his views on church music which were not in line
with common opinions, he had a rather difficult character, something which
seems to have run in the family.
The present disc includes compositions from various stages in his
life and of contrasting character. It is regrettable that most of them are
fairly well-known and have been recorded various times before. It should
surely have been possible to find some compositions in his oeuvre that were
less familiar.
One of those which caused controversy was
The wilderness and the
solitary place. This is often compared with an operatic scena, and may
well have been influenced by Wesley's experiences in the music theatre. A
contemporary critic judged that it was "no church music". It was written
during his time in Hereford, on the occasion of the inauguration of the new
organ in 1832. This is the reason Wesley gave the organ so much prominence.
At various points it seems to take on the role of a complete orchestra,
reflecting the new style in organ building at the time - the so-called
'symphonic' organ which was also in vogue in France. The extended organ part
also allowed for dramatic effects. The second section, which is an aria for
bass, feels operatic. The third opens with a recitative on "Then shall the
lame man leap as an hart", which seems to be a reference to the
corresponding recitative in Handel's
Messiah.
Also in his Hereford period Wesley composed the anthem
Blessed be
the God and Father. It is another example of the organ playing a
dramatic part. Here we also find some quite daring harmonies. The crescendo
in the opening section, culminating in the phrase "by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead" sung at full power is quite telling.
During his time in Leeds he composed a complete
Morning and
Evening Service from which the
Magnificat and the
Nunc
dimittis are taken. The differences between these two texts are
reflected in Wesley's setting: the Magnificat is considerably more dramatic,
for instance in the description of the mighty and the proud. From the same
period dates
Wash me throughly from my wickedness which shows the
influence of continental romanticism. Some even call this anthem
sentimental. Some years earlier Wesley composed
O give thanks unto the
Lord which includes some reminiscences. Its central piece is a solo for
treble. These two anthems are considerably more restrained and sober than
pieces like
The wilderness. The same is true of
Thou wilt keep
them in perfect peace. This anthem is pretty close to the late
renaissance full anthem.
Ascribe it unto the Lord was written in Winchester and shows
a return to the structure of
The wilderness. It is less dramatic,
although Wesley later orchestrated both. The text is effectively expressed
in the music, for instance through the contrasts in scoring between the
second and third sections. In the former the name of the Lord is praised, by
three trebles, alto and tenor, whereas the third, describing the "gods of
the heathen", is set for alto, two tenors and bass. The anthem's opening
with the men's voices alone is quite impressive and an excellent depiction
of the text.
This disc includes two pieces which reflect a specific feature of
Anglican church music: the hymn and the chant. The former is represented by
O Thou who camest from above. The melody is known as 'Hereford',
referring to the place where it was written. The text is by Sebastian's
grandfather Charles. The chant is represented by Psalms 42 and 43, in a
setting by Sebastian's father Samuel. This form is quite familiar to most
English listeners, I assume. However, this production is also aimed at the
international market, and therefore some explanation of this practice in the
liner-notes would have been useful.
The Choir of St John's College, Cambridge was one of the first
British college and cathedral choirs which adopted a 'continental' sound.
Under its legendary conductor George Guest it had already moved away from
the ethereal, 'Victorian' sound of the trebles. This approach has been kept
alive under his successors and is well suited to the choral music of Samuel
Sebastian Wesley. The dramatic elements are fully conveyed, and the
contrasts are well worked out. The trebles are very fine, although in the
first pieces I found them a bit weak. Peter Hicks is particularly good in
the solo section from
O give thanks unto the Lord, and the bass Basil
McDonald delivers a convincing performance of the solo aria in
The
wilderness. I should not forget to mention John Challenger who gives
good support to the choir and contributes a solo piece from the relatively
small output for organ.
As an introduction to the oeuvre of Wesley this disc is an
unequivocal success. I hope that this choir will complete the picture with a
recording of some of the lesser-known compositions.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
