Parents, alumni, students and other members of the University community all gathered in the newly renovated Memorial Chapel this past Sunday to sing and listen to hymns written by Charles, John and Samuel Sebastian Wesley.
Sponsored by the Wesleyan University Ministry and the Department of Music, the program commemorated the 300th birthday of John Wesley, the University’s namesake.
Charles and John, brothers, founded the Methodist movement in the eighteenth century while Charles’s grandson Samuel continued the family’s musical tradition in the nineteenth century.
The music and texts of the Wesleys is a part of the University’s history that lately has gone unrecognized.
“I don’t know whose great idea it was to sing Wesley hymns, but all I can say is it’s about time,” acknowledged Professor Stephen Crites, who retired recently after forty years of teaching religion and philosophy at the University. Crites also served as University Chaplain during the Sixties.
After a brief introduction by Ronald Ebrecht, University Organist and conductor of the Wesleyan Singers, student organists Laura Ouimette ’06 and Simon Au ’07 performed Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s Andante for Organ Duet.
New hymnals were also used for the first time Sunday. The hymnals were a gift to the University from the Reverend Barney Kathan ’51. For the dedication, Professor Neely Bruce, of the American Studies and Music departments, led those in attendance in reading Psalm 96 and the Reverend Louis Manzo, University Roman Catholic Chaplain, led a prayer.
The Chapel then sang eight hymns from the new hymnals, mostly by the Wesleys, accompanied by Ebrecht on the organ and with commentary by Crites. The hymns began with O for a thousand tongues, or “For the Anniversary Day of One’s Conversion,” written in 1739 by Charles Wesley. “Charles was known for his rousers, and that is certainly one of them!” exclaimed Crites in his commentary.
Crites then gave a brief history of the Wesley brothers. In the 1730s, John and Charles Wesley became the unsuspecting leaders of an evangelical movement in the Anglican Church, which then became the Methodist movement. Charles then tried to distance himself from the movement, while John became the main leader.
The next hymn, Nature with open volume stands, espouses Wesley views though it was written by Isaac Watts, a Dissenter hymn-writer. However, Samuel Sebastian Wesley did write the harmony. He also wrote the harmony of the next hymn, O thou who camest from above, with text written by Charles Wesley.
The remaining five hymns were all by Charles Wesley as well, including Come, O thou Traveler Unknown, or “Wrestling Jacob,” written in 1746. Though rarely sung, Crites explained that this is often considered Charles’ most famous hymn.
Crites further described the hymn as “an obscure, Christianized version of Jacob wrestling with Christ.”
Following these eight hymns, the Wesleyan Singers sang Samuel Sebastian Wesley’s three most popular anthems, conducted by Ebrecht and accompanied on the organ by Ouimette.
The Wesleyan Singers first sang Lead Me, Lord with alto solos by Rebecca Edwards ’04 and Cecilia Seiter ’07 and soprano solos by Sarah Myskin ’06 and Erin Teske ’07.
About her experience with Wesleyan Singers, Teske said, “I enjoy it. It’s nice to have an opportunity to sing.”
The Wesleyan Singers then sang Wash Me, Thoroughly with soloists Nora Connor ’07 and Amanda Bon-Keen ’07. The Wesleyan Singers concluded their performance with Though Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace.
With commentary by Bruce and Ebrecht on the organ, the Wesleyan Singers then led the Chapel in singing five more hymns by Charles Wesley from the Sacred Harp, a hymnal revived in the University’s own Memorial Chapel in 1976.
These five hymns included Cookham, written in 1735, commonly known as Hark! the herald angels sing. “If you didn’t know that Charles Wesley wrote Hark! the herald angels sing, now you know it,” Bruce said.
The program ended with the first ever singing of Hymn of Peace or Memorial Chapel New. The text of the new hymn was written by Bishop Jeffrey Rowthorn and Bruce wrote the tune.
Because of Homecoming weekend there were many alumni and relatives in the audience. “It was a wonderful show. I loved the organ,” commented Ethel Tyrnes, whose niece performed in the Wesleyan Singers.
The program concluded with a reception in the new Zelnick Pavilion, allowing audience members to greet and converse with the show’s participants.