Midweek music spot: Samuel Wesley - "O, sing unto my roundelay"

Samuel Wesley (24 February 1766 – 11 October 1837) was one of three members of the prolific and talented Wesley family with that Christian name, and was an English organist and composer in the late Georgian period. His grandfather, also called Samuel Wesley, was a famous poet: his uncle was John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.

Wesley was a contemporary of Mozart (1756–1791) and was called by some of his admirers "the English Mozart", but he had a son, Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810 - 1876) who went on to be an even more famous composer than he was.

Sadly the Samuel Wesley who wrote the piece below lived before the existence of recording devices, so itis impossible to compare his playing of the organ with those who lived in other centuries, but if half of what was said of his playing by his contemporaries is true he must have been one of the best organists who ever lived.

Unfortunately many of his compositions do not survive, but here is one which does.

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