The Letters of Samuel Wesley Professional and Social Correspondence, 1797-1837 [Hardcover]

Samuel Wesley (1766-1837) was the son of the hymn-writer Charles Wesley and the nephew of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism. He was one of the leading composers in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century England, and the finest organist of his day. He was also a misfit and a rebel, renowned for his outspoken views, his frequently wild behavior, and his irregular personal life. His music has become increasingly well known in recent years, and these letters to his friends and fellow musicians, over 400 of which are gathered together here for the first time, present both a witty, perceptive, and unparalleled portrait of Wesley the man, and an insiders view of life in the music profession in London in the early nineteenth-century.

List of Illustrations
Abbreviations and Cue Titles
Chronology
Biographical Introduction
Textual Introduction
THE LETTERS
Appendix: Undatable Letters
Index