Location: Royal Academy of Music, London, England
Date: 1780
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 59 x 41.7 inches
Charles Wesley Jr (1757–1834) was an English organist and composer. Born in Bristol to Sarah and Charles Wesley—the renowned Methodist leader and hymn-writer, his brother, Samuel Wesley, one of the most famous musicians of the age.
Like his brother, Charles was a remarkable childhood prodigy who began playing the organ before the age of three. As an adult professional musician, his organ skills were highly praised for providing “supreme delight.” However, because he disliked public performance, he worked primarily as a private organist. He maintained lifelong connections to the British royal family, first performing at the Queen’s House at age 18 and later serving as organist to the Prince Regent.
Charles married Eliza Skelton and had at least two children. While less well-known today than his brother Samuel, a handful of his compositions remain in rotation. This includes a recently discovered keyboard sonata in F minor, which received its modern premiere in 2007 at Southern Methodist University during joint celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of his father’s birth and the 250th anniversary of his own.
