John Wesley Revival and Influence On George Frederic Handel Music: Lessons For Our Evangelical Missions
JOHN WESLEY REVIVAL AND INFLUENCE ON GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL MUSIC: LESSONS FOR OUR EVANGELICAL MISSIONS
Samuel Nortey
Christ the King Methodist Church, Asokwa
Amakom Circuit, Kumasi Diocese
INTRODUCTION
In this paper, as a lover of hymns and baroque music, I attempt to make connections of John Wesley’s revival on 24th May, 1738 at Aldersgate Street and the influence on England and more specifically on the composer George Frederic Handel and the evangelical misson lessons we can draw from Handel’s oratorios success story. This paper is triggered by a sermon from the Presiding Bishop, the Most Rev. Dr. Paul Kwabena Boafo on 24th May, 2020. After the sermon, I keep returning to John Wesley’s revival in 1738 and the zeal to make the world his parish. It is said by several scholars that John Wesley was the man who saved England because it was during the same period that other European countries had morality so subscribed to and the unspeakable terror. Getting to the end of 18th century, morality had reached a low point everywhere and Europe were rejecting aristocracy and all Christian influences. The story was however different in England because although a minority significant number of the people wanted to follow the steps of France, a majority significant did not and this is in part to the preaching of John Wesley. In England, around the same period of John’s revival was George Frederic Handel the German composer who had naturalized as a British and was composing Operas. He had travelled from Italy to London in 1711 and his operas were accepted and flourishing in England.
JOHN WESLEY vs GEORGE FREDERIC HANDEL
George Frederic Handel relocated to England in 1711 at that time John Wesley was only 8years. He was residing at Belington House in Piccadilly. John had this time was homeschooled by the mother Sussana after John miraculously escaped the fire outbreak when he was 6years. He was in Epworth in north London.
John Wesley gave so much to the society so did George Fredrick Handel left behind twenty thousand pounds which he have out to servants and the society.