Ascribe Unto the Lord - Sacred Choral Works by Wesley Choir of St. Johns College, Cambridge & Andrew Nethsingha

• Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810 - 1876):
• 1 Wesley: Blessed be the God and Father 07:22
• 2 Wesley: Wash me throughly from my wickedness 04:37
• Ascribe unto the Lord:
• 3 Wesley: Ascribe unto the Lord: I. Ascribe unto the Lord 02:37
• 4 Wesley: Ascribe unto the Lord: II. O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness 03:07
• 5 Wesley: Ascribe unto the Lord: III. As for the gods of the heathen 02:17
• 6 Wesley: Ascribe unto the Lord: IV. They that make them are like unto them 02:01
• 7 Wesley: Ascribe unto the Lord: V. The Lord hath been mindful of us 03:59
• Samuel Sebastian Wesley:
• 8 Wesley: Psalms 42 and 43: Like as the hart desireth the water brooks - Give sentence with me, O God 07:30
• Morning and Evening Service in E Major:
• 9 Wesley: Morning and Evening Service in E Major: I. Magnificat 06:48
• 10 Wesley: Morning and Evening Service in E Major: II. Nunc dimittis 03:26
• The wilderness and the solitary place:
• 11 Wesley: The wilderness and the solitary place: I. The wilderness and the solitary place 02:18
• 12 Wesley: The wilderness and the solitary place: II. Say to them of a fearful heart 02:34
• 13 Wesley: The wilderness and the solitary place: III. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart 03:21
• 14 Wesley: The wilderness and the solitary place: IV. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return 02:24
• 15 Wesley: The wilderness and the solitary place: V. And sorrow and sighing shall flee away 02:02
• Samuel Sebastian Wesley:
• 16 Wesley: Three Pieces for Chamber Organ, Book II: No. 2. Larghetto in F-Sharp Minor 05:55
• O give thanks unto the Lord:
• 17 Wesley: O give thanks unto the Lord: I. O give thanks unto the Lord 02:49
• 18 Wesley: O give thanks unto the Lord: II. Who can express the noble acts of the Lord 03:25
• 19 Wesley: O give thanks unto the Lord: III. Blessed are they that alway keep judgment 01:58
• Samuel Sebastian Wesley:
• 20 Wesley: O Thou who camest from above 02:43
• 21 Wesley: Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace 03:56
• Total Runtime 01:17:09

Info for Ascribe Unto the Lord - Sacred Choral Works by Wesley

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge has selected some of the best-known choral works of Samuel Sebastian Wesley for inclusion on this album, interspersing them with one of his organ works as well as a psalm chant by his father, Samuel Wesley.

Samuel Sebastian Wesley was one of the most controversial characters in nineteenth-century English music, earning a reputation for inherent stubbornness, a highly critical mindset (particularly in relation to the church), and a unique pioneering spirit. All of which were character traits which became instrumental in the creation of the wholly new styles of church music, and the renewal of church practices, for which he became known.

The wilderness and the solitary place (c. 1832) is one such work, described by the conservative critic R.J.S. Stevens as ‘a clever thing. But it is not cathedral music’. This early work comes across as a compressed oratorio, or an operatic scena, with the overt emotions and huge range of textures on display unlike anything that had ever been heard in English church music before. In contrast, Ascribe unto the Lord (1851) acts as a mature counterpart to the youthful Wilderness, and sets out in miniature the sentiments of Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah, while staying true to the melodic exuberance of the composer himself.

The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge is one of the finest collegiate choirs in the world, known and loved by millions for its recordings, broadcasts, and concert tours. For several decades it has performed around the world, including the US, Canada, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Australia, and of course Europe.

John Challenger, organ
< Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge
< Andrew Nethsingha, conductor

No biography found.

This album contains no booklet.