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
BBC Welsh Chorus
Nimbus NI5310 (CD: Celebration: Christmas Fanfares & Carols)
Conductor – John Hugh Thomas
Trumpets – Fanfare Trumpeters of the Welsh Guards
Organ -Huw Tregelles WilliamsBlack Dyke Mills Band
Paul Bisaccia
Adeste Fidelis as March of the Three Kings from Christmas Tree Suite (Weihnachtsbaum) (John Francis Wade/Franz Liszt/Traditional)
Towerhill TH-72002 (CD: Paul Bisaccia – Classic Christmas, Jazz Christmas)
Arranger- Franz Liszt
Black Dyke Mills Band
Chandos 4541 (CD: A Christmas Fantasy)
Choir – Huddersfield Choral Society
Conductor – Roy Newsome
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
Chicago Symphony Low Brass Ensemble
VOX 7501 (CD: Christmas with the Symphony Brass of Chicago)
Conductor – Barry Faldner
Connie Francis recordings
Adeste Fidelis (Frederick Oakeley/John Frances Wade)
Polygram HMCD 3001 (CD: Christmas In My Heart)
Vocals – Connie Francis
Conductor – Geoff Love
Harvard University Choir recordings
Adeste Fidelis (Frederick Oakeley/John Francis Wade)
Pro Organo CD 7134 (Christmas in the Busch)
Conductor – Murray Forbes Somerville
Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra
Director – Robert Mealy
The Harvard Brass
Soprano – Awet Andemichael
Bass – Mark Risinger
Organists – Erica Johnson and Edward Jones
Paul Hill Chorale recordings
Centaur CRC 2258 (CD: A Paul Hill Chorale Christmas)
Arranger – Jackson Berkey
Conductor – Paul Hill
Organist – Sondra Proctor
National Capital Brass and Percussion Ensemble
Kings College Choir, Cambridge
London 444 848 (CD: Noel – Christmas at Kings)
Conductor – Sir David Willcocks
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
Robert Shaw Chorale Recordings
RCA 6429 – 2 – RG (CD: A Festival of Carols)
Arrangers – Robert Shaw/Alice Parker
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice
Adeste Fidelis (John Francis Wade)
Naxos 8.550301 (CD: Christmas Goes Baroque)
Conductor – Peter Breiner
Benita Valente & The Philadelphia Singers recordings
RCA 6559-2-RC (Gloria! Gloria!)
Soprano – Benita Valente
Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Singers
Roger Wagner Chorale recordings
Delos 3072 (CD: To Catch a Christmas Star)
Conductor – Roger Wagner
California State University Handbell Choir
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