Behold, The Savior Of Mankind (Purcell)

This tune is adapted from the well-known Dido's Lament from Henry Purcell's 1689 opera, Dido and Aeneas. The hymn is especially suitable for Lent, Good Friday, and Tenebrae. The text was written by Samuel Wesley, father of John and Charles, shortly before the fire that destroyed the Epworth rectory in 1709. This was the same fire from which young John was saved. It led him to later refer to himself as a "brand plucked out of the burning."

• Behold the Savior of Mankind (PDF format)