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Gibbons, Orlando (born: Oxford, 1583; died: Canterbury, 5 June 1625). English composer. He came from a musical family and was a chorister (1596-8) and student (1599-1603) at King's College, Cambridge. He joined the Chapel Royal in c. 1603 and was one of its organists by 1615 (senior organist, 1625). In 1619 he became a virginal player at court and in 1623 organist at Westminster Abbey. He took the MusB at Cambridge (1606) and the DMus at Oxford (1622). One of the most important English composers of sacred music in the early 17th century, he wrote several Anglican services, popular in their day, and over 30 anthems, some imposing and dramatic (e.g. O clap your hands), others colourful and most expressive (See, the word is incarnate; This is the record of John). His instrumental music, also important, includes over 30 elaborate contrapuntal viol fantasias and over 40 masterly keyboard pieces. His madrigals (1612) are generally serious in tone (e.g. The Silver Swanne).
Sacred vocal music
- over 30 anthems
- 2 services
- psalms
- Te Deum
- hymn tunes
Secular vocal music
- 14 madrigals, incl. The Silver Swanne
- consort songs
Instrumental music
- over 30 fantasias, viol
- pavans and galliards
- In Nomines
- kbd almans, pavans, fantasias, galliards
Note: Concise Grove, based on the 20-volume New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, was published in 1988. For more contemporary information and updated listings, the New Grove II, published in January 2001, is available in printed and online versions: www.grovemusic.com. The Grove Concise Dictionary of Music (c) Macmillan Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. For personal, non-commercial use only. Copying or other reproduction is prohibited.
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