Green cloth has minimal rubbing, internally a clean, bright copy; dustwrapper has been clipped & price stickered by publisher, & apart from one 1cm closed tear at foot of spine has minimal signs of wear. xvi,272pp. 225x145mm. 0257656375. 470g. 'John Wesley, 1703-91; Charles Welsey, 1707-88; Charles Wesley II, 1757-1834; Samuel Wesley, 1766-1837; Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1810-76. Dr Routley's account of the music of this remarkable family sets them clearly in the context of the evangelical movement of which John Wesley was the leader. The music of this movement was powerfully influenced by John Wesley's antagonism to all forms of polyphony, & by his brother Charles's introduction of the German six-eights stanza form into English hymnody. A greater share of the book, naturally enough, goes to Charles's sons, Charles junior & Samuel Wesley, the prodigies who, though failing to fulfil their early promise, nevertheless left their mark on Church music. Samuel's crucial championship of J S Bach was celebrated in the name of his son Samuel Sebastian, the greatest of the musical Wesleys. It is he who receives the lion's share of the book. The author examines his subject historically, socially, psychologically, but primarily musically, analysing the musical character of the principal works of the three composers & relating them to their musical & cultural environment. He supports the text with nearly seventy musical examples.'

John Wesley charles Wesley Samuel Wesley Samuel Sebastian Wesley Christian church music hymns Hymnody