Born in London, he was the eldest child in the composer Samuel Wesley's second family, which he formed with Sarah Suter having separated from his wife Charlotte.

After singing in the choir of the Chapel Royal as a boy, Samuel Sebastian embarked on a career as a musician, and was appointed organist at Hereford Cathedral in 1832.

Famous in his lifetime as one of his country's leading organists and choirmasters, he composed almost exclusively for the Church of England, which continues to cherish his memory.

His better-known anthems include Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace and Wash me throughly.

Usually now sung to the words "The Church's One Foundation", Wesley composed the tune for the hymn "Jerusalem the Golden", hence the name "Aurelia".

However, their joint conception has been largely adopted as an international standard for organs throughout the English-speaking world and those exported elsewhere.

[7][6] Selected works include the following:[8][9] Other hymn tunes composed or arranged by Wesley are listed on the Library of Congress Linked Data Service.