Charles Wesley: Hymns of Praise

Filmed live before an informal audience, this one-man show featuring John P. Jackman as Charles Wesley (1707-1788) provides a richly anecdotal account of the influential roles of Charles and his brother John in the early days of the Methodist movement. Hailing from a family of clergy, Charles found himself in the family business almost by accident after witnessing the salutary effect that singing hymns had on the German Moravians (in England, it was not customary for congregations to sing hymns at the time). Over the course of his life, he wrote some 6,000 poems, which were often sung to popular tunes of the day (to encourage untrained voices to participate). Some are rendered here, with Jackman at the harpsichord, at times joined by a small chorus and finally by the audience. Charles Wesley: Hymns of Praise, with its chatty exploration of familiar figures, has a charming, “loving-hands-at-home” feel to it, which would make it particularly enjoyable for Methodist church groups, if optional elsewhere. Aud: P. (J. Reed)