Inklings
“We hear of his composing chants and hymn-tunes when he was about eight”. Groves Dictionary of Music and Musicians (1928), 55
Some chants and melodies for hymns at eight
Gave childhood hints, yet first among the strong
To forge him served in Winchester, that great
Composer, Wesley. Such a source for song
Could hardly be surpassed. Since “Blessed Be
The God and Father” was ancestral to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VHitHzX1Ww
The later hymns and anthems in the key
Of beauty, Parry’s compositions grew
Towards the holiness of English church
Perfection in its highest strains. The hymn
‘Jerusalem’ was natural. Do not search
Too far to find the tree trunk of this limb.
..An ancient church’s organ loft is where
….Young Parry’s gift grew like an early prayer.
This poem is part of a shorter sonnet sequence within this large sonnet sequence called The Encyclopedia Sonnetica. The shorter sonnet sequence is called “A Lively Hope.” I recommend you read this poem where it is set in its sonnet sequence. To do that, search for “A Lively Hope” here in The Encyclopedia Sonnetica, or you may see an illustrated version the entire shorter sequence at
https://classicalpoets.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/A-Lively-Hope.pdf
where it was first published.