Composer of the Week - Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) - Episode 3

Forget Samuel Sebastian Wesley as a pillar of the Anglican Cathedral world - he was an eccentric, inconsistent and irascible character - Donald Macleod marks the bicentenary of Wesley's birth, surveying the composer's life and music. Wesley's relationship with the Dean and Chapter at Exeter Cathedral turned very sour. He was invited to Leeds to give the opening recital on their new organ, and soon accepted the post of organist there. During his time at Leeds, Wesley was in demand as an organist all over the country, but he also started to put into print his views of the Clergy's control over music. In today's episode Donald Macleod traces Wesley's move from rural Devon to the industrialised north - a move the composer regretted for the rest of his life. Also there is the Magnificat from Wesley's service in E, which he published accompanied by an introduction in which he publically criticised Cathedrals for their inadequate choirs and organs.