- Organ Prelude: Air and Gavotte – Samuel Wesley
- Opening Hymn 380 “O worship the King”
- Service Music: David Hurd Psalm 124 (Tone II.1)
- Anthem: Jesu, joy of man’s desiring – J.S. Bach
- Offertory Hymn 384 “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”
- Communion Hymn 610 “Before I take the Body of my Lord”
- Communion Motet: If ye love me – Thomas Tallis
- Final Hymn 325 “Angel voices, ever singing”
- Organ Postlude: Toccata in D minor – J.S. Bach
Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) was something of a black sheep in the Wesley family. He was the son of Charles Wesley, the famous Methodist hymn writer and the nephew of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church. In 1784 he converted to Roman Catholicism (surely not a popular choice amongst his family!); and even worse, perhaps, he fathered several children out of wedlock (he did marry the first mother of his child, but later left her and became involved with another woman with whom he had 4 children).
In spite of all this many of his best compositions were written for the church. Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed well over 200 cantatas which were sung as part of services throughout the Lutheran church year. “Jesu, joy of man’s desiring” is a movement from the 147th cantata, composed for the Visitation of Mary. The most instantly recognizable piece of organ music is Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor”, popularized by Leopold Stokowski’s arrangement for orchestra which was an international best seller when he recorded it in 1927, and in 1940 when he used it in the score to the Disney film “Fantasia” (and not forgetting its use in Phantom of the Opera!). Thomas Tallis composed “If ye love me, keep my commandments” to a text from John 14: 15-17. Tallis (c1505 to 1585) is one of England’s greatest early composers who became organist of Canterbury Cathedral and later the Chapel Royal. He performed and wrote music for four monarchs – King Henry VIII, Edward VI, Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I.
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