Isaac Watts: The Father of English Hymnody

O God, Our Help in Ages Past

Westminster Abbey - London, England

Jesus Shall Reign Where'er the Sun

From All That Dwell Below the Skies

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

In 2011, Christianity Today magazine surveyed 28 Protestant hymnals.  Only 13 hymns were in all editions.  "Jesus Shall Reign," & "When I Survey," were among these.  "O God, Our Help" appeared in 27 hymn books. Isaac Watts tried to direct singers attention to Jesus Christ. His words have done that across denominational lines for generations. 

Charles Wesley: The Greatest English Hymn Writer

O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing

Jesus, Lover of My Soul

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Come, Thou Almighty King

Charles Wesley's hymn, "Love Divine" has appeared in 28 Protestant hymnals since 1878.  In 27 hymn books are:  "Come, Thou Almighty King," and "O, for a Thousand Tongues to Sing."  "Christ the Lord is Risen Today!"  has appeared in 26.  Wesley's formal words of doctrine and love continue to touch and strengthen hearts across denominational lines.

Claudio Monteverdi: Leading Composer of Italian Baroque Music

"Monteverdi was the choirmaster of St. Mark's (Venice, Italy) for 30 years and the most universal composer of the early Baroque.  Dramatic conflict was the essence of his style.  He used dissonance for dramatic effectiveness and believed that rhythm is bound up with emotion."  (Jane Stuart Smith)

"Vespers": Sung in the Palace of Versailles - Paris, France

The setting shows the grand style of King Louis IV of France who built the splendid Palace of Versailles.  Everything was immense.  It was a center of the arts during Louis's reign.

George Frederick Handel: A German Who Composed famous "English" Operas

"I did think that I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself!"

Handel was music director to the elector of Hanover, but he found the position so tedious that he asked for a leave of absence to visit England.  There he became an instant success, but after about two years he returned to Hanover.  In 1712 he again asked for a leave, which was granted.  He did not return.  In fact, he was still in Britain when the elector became King George I.  In 1717 Water Music was performed on the Thames River for the King and his guests.  Some believe this gesture led to reconciliation with his former employer.

Handel - Water Music Suite No. 3 in G major

BBC Proms, 2012

"I Know That My Redeemer Liveth": Sylvia McNair

Conductor:  Sir Neville Marriner

St. Martins in the Fields, London, England

Hallelujah Chorus: The Atlanta Symphony & Chorus

Conductor:  Robert Shaw

Johann Sebastian Bach: German Baroque Composer Who Sought to Glorify God

"Bach was the outstanding member of the greatest musical family the world has ever known.  His influence in music history has been one of health and strength.  Bach never wrote empty virtuosity; his music has content.  Listen to Bach, appreciate the richness and diversity of his music, but hear his message too."  

"Saint Matthew Passion is considered one of the richest and noblest sacred works.  It is the creation of a mind intimately familiar and profoundly moved by the Gospel text.  It is indeed one of civilization's imcomparable masterpieces."  (Jane Stuart Smith)

St. Matthew Passion

Franz Joseph Haydn: An Austrian Became The Father of the Symphony

He was born to a wheelwright who also served as mayor of an Austrian village.  As a musician, Hadyn developed slowly.  In Englad he became a sensation and performed before large crowds. Haydn's musical compositions and performances during short British visits established his financial security.

Te Deum in C

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: A Musical Genius from Austria

Experts consider Mozart to be the most sheerly musical composer who ever lived.  He had the single-mindedness of genius. Mozart seemed born to create music.  From age four until 35 he hardly had a day’s rest. The sheer beauty, perfection, and profundity of his music continues to astonish and delight.

He is regarded as one of the greatest musical dramatists.  Figaro set the model for all comic opera of the future.  Mozart made comic figures for the first time in opera. This expressed Mozart's own love of life. Yet, the masterpiece Don Giovanni was composed after his father's death, a time of sorrow and decline.  His final opera, one of the greatest modern German operas, was The Magic Flute.  A testament to the brotherhood of man, it is a combination of morals, magic and fairy tale.

Cecilia Bartoli and Renee Fleming in a duet from Mozart's, "The Marriage of Figaro".

The finale of Act I of a Royal Opera production of Don Giovanni

The Magic Flute: "Pa-pa-pa Papageno" - Nathan Gunn (Met Opera)