Letters of “Hark the Herald” composer published

25 Apr 2013 The private letters of the composer of some of the world's most popular hymns have been published, providing a rare glimpse into the birth of Methodism. The collection of Charles Wesley's letters are edited by Dr Gareth Lloyd of The University of Manchester's John Rylands Library and Professor Kenneth Newport of Liverpool Hope University. The Oxford University Press edition is the first of two volumes containing all 700 surviving letters of the preacher, who co-founded Methodism with his brother John, written over sixty years from 1727 to 1788. Wesley's "Hark the Herald” has been recorded by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra and The Fall and has featured in TV programmes like "South Park” and the classic movie "It's a Wonderful Life". Most of the previously unpublished collection is kept at the world-famous John Rylands Library, and gives a fascinating insight into Wesley and his followers as well as the rich tapestry of public, private and religious life in Britain. The early Methodists were viewed by their opponents as dangerous extremists: they had visions, fell into trances and some even developed a reputation for possessing supernatural power. Some of the letters were written in a complex 18th century shorthand developed by John Byrom, sometimes inter-mixed with Latin, Greek and Hebrew.