"If I had to single out the family who made the greatest contribution to hymn writing
, I think it would have to be the Wesleys . You''ve probably heard of John Wesley
: he founded the evangelical revival movement in 18th century England and America
which grew into the Methodist Church . But it was his less famous brother Charles
who wrote most of hymns - over 6,500 of them. I think it has to be a record. Wesleyan
hymns were designed for evangelisation. They taught Christian doctrines , they
stirred up religious fervour and they attracted new converts. Imagine hearing them
sung with great gusto in large open-air gatherings. No wonder people came flocking"...
Listen
to this musical comment by Monsignor Philip Whitmore in a programme produced by
Veronica Scarisbrick :