Verse anthem

Verse anthem

The verse anthem is a species of religious choral music distinct from the motet or 'full' anthem (i.e. for full choir).

In the 'verse' anthem the music alternates between sections for a solo voice or voices (called the 'verse') and the full choir. Organ, instruments, or both provide accompaniment. In the 'verses', solo voices were expected to ornament their parts for expressive effect. The 'full choir' sections providing contrast in volume and texture. Verse anthems developed and were very popular during the early 17th to the middle of the 18th centuries. At the Restoration of Charles II enthusiasm for the older 'motet' style of anthem returned, but composers continued to write verse anthems, sometimes on a grand scale, particularly for the Chapel Royal.

Notable composers of verse anthems include William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Thomas Weelkes, Thomas Tomkins John Bull and Pelham Humfrey.

The 'Star Anthem' by John Bull was the most popular Jacobean verse anthem occurring in more contemporary sources than any other. Of the Jacobean anthems the most well knownin the 21st century is "This is the Record of John" written by Orlando Gibbons for a visit of Archbishop Laud to his "alma mater" St. John's College Oxford. Verse anthems have been frequently transposed to suit modern English cathedral choir voices so "Record of John" exists as an alto solo as well as the original tenor.

Henry Purcell composed several splendid examples, usually for special occasions like the composition of his odes. For example "The Way of God is an Undefiled Way" apparently a Psalm setting, was to be sung by the famed bass soloist, the Reverend John Gostling, to celebrate King William III's safe and successful return from campaigning in Flanders. The larger anthems are often referred to as Symphony Anthems as they include, in addition to sections for 'verse' and 'full choir', passages for string instruments and organ alone, e.g. 'O sing unto the Lord' and 'Rejoice in the Lord always'.

References


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  • verse anthem — noun Etymology: verse (I) : an anthem in use in the English Church for solo voices or having a passage for solo voices compare full anthem …   Useful english dictionary

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  • anthem — /an theuhm/, n. 1. a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism: the national anthem of Spain; our college anthem. 2. a piece of sacred vocal music, usually with words taken from the Scriptures. 3. a hymn sung alternately by different sections… …   Universalium

  • Anthem — Ein Anthem ist eine englische Chorkomposition mit geistlichem Text, die in Gottesdiensten der Anglikanischen Liturgie verwendet wird. Im englischen Sprachgebrauch wird der Begriff auch allgemein für einen festlichen Gesang verwendet (vgl.… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Anthem — The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music (in music theory and religious contexts), or more generally, a song (or composition) of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term… …   Wikipedia

  • anthem — Composición coral con textos en inglés que se usa en los servicios religiosos. Se desarrolló a mediados del s. XVI como la versión anglicana del motete católico en latín. El full anthem es para coro sin acompañamiento, mientras que el verse… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Verse Service —    An Anglican service composed with alternation between solo singers and the full choir, after the manner of the verse anthem. The earliest examples date from the late 16th century.    See also Full Service; Great Service …   Historical dictionary of sacred music

  • Verse — Verse, n. [OE. vers, AS. fers, L. versus a line in writing, and, in poetry, a verse, from vertere, versum, to turn, to turn round; akin to E. worth to become: cf. F. vers. See {Worth} to become, and cf. {Advertise}, {Averse}, {Controversy},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • verse — 1 Verse, stanza both mean a unit of metrical writing. Verse is both wider and more varied in its popular usage since it can denote a single line of such writing, such writing as a class, or, along with stanza, a group of lines forming a division… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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