Charles Wesley’s inspiring words for
Lo! He comes with clouds descending were based on verses by John Cennick. Thomas Olivers derived the tune from a country dance, itself possibly by Thomas Arne, which he heard whistled in the street. This appeared in John Wesley’s
Select Hymns with Tunes Annext under the name ‘Olivers’ in 1765, and four years later Martin Madan in his
Collection of Psalm and Hymn Tunes produced a revised version called ‘Helmsley’. Vaughan Williams reharmonized it for the first edition of
The English Hymnal, and the descant is by Christopher Robinson, Director of Music at St John’s from 1991 to 2002.
from notes by Andrew Burn © 2006
