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He was a hymnist and Catholic layman born in England
with his father being a cloth merchant. It is known that he was a Catholic layman
and there are two stories about his move to France but one is that he had
fled persecution by 1731 and went to Flanders, Belgium, and the other is
that he fled in the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745 and he went and lived in
Douay, France, with other Catholic exiles from England. He took a position as a music
teacher of church and Latin song and was a copier of hymn manuscripts and
plainchant to be used privately and by local chapels. He had many connections in the
Catholic music world and was acquainted with Thomas Arne and Samuel Webbe
among many others as well as it being said that he was "an instrumental
force in the English revival of plainchant". Maybe as early as 1740, it is known that he wrote
the song "Adeste Fideles" which is still popular today and more commonly
known as "O Come All Ye Faithful".
He died in Douay, France, at around the age of 75.
Adeste, Fideles (O Come All Ye Faithful)
recordings
Black Dyke Mills Band
Chandos 4541 (CD: A Christmas Fantasy)
Boston Pops
Philips 416 287 - 2 (CD: We Wish You a Merry Christmas)
Conductor - John
Williams
DG 419 414-2 (CD: White Christmas)
Conductor - Arthur
Fiedler
RCA 09026-61685-2 (CD: Pops Christmas Party)
Conductor - Arthur
Fiedler
Sony SK 48232 (CD: Joy to the World)
Conductor - John
Williams
Tanglewood Festival Chorus
Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Naxos 8.990005 (CD: Joy to the World)
Conductor - Richard Hayman
Rochester Pops Orchestra
Koch CHD 1531 (CD: Joy to the World - Carols for
Orchestra and Chorus)
St Louis
Philharmonic Orchestra
Sonari records - 7 55724 00272 3 (CD: Christmas with
the Philharmonic)
Conductor - Robert
Hart Baker
Sources:
- http://www.cyberhymnal.org/bio/w/a/d/wade_jf.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Francis_Wade
- http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/adeste_fideles.htm
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