English Anthems: Accessibility to the Parish Choir, Part II

English anthems tend to have texts drawn from Scripture (word-for-word) or from liturgical sources such as the Mass, Evening Prayer, or appointed prayers for these occasions.

As such, if your church follows a liturgical tradition, the English anthem texts will have a ring of familiarity about them. If you read the texts without singing them, the words are often quotes from Scripture or prayers meant for corporate worship.

If you are introducing English anthems to your parish choir, a good place to start is with a familiar text. John Stainer's classic, "God So Loved the World," is practically a direct quote of John 3:16-17. Stainer lived from 1840 to 1901.

You can find a number of arrangements in public domain here.

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God so loved the world,
God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth,
believeth in Him
should not parish,
should not parish
but have everlasting life.

For God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
God sent not His Son
into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world
through Him might be saved.

God so loved the world,
God so loved the world
that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoso believeth,
believeth in Him
should not parish,
should not parish
but have everlasting life.
everlasting life,
everlasting,
everlasting life.
God so loved the world,
God so loved the world,
God so loved the world.

English Anthems: Accessibility to the Parish Choir, Part I

English anthems are, for the most part, accessible to the listener since they are not particularly fancy with their one note per syllable philosophy.

But what about the parish choir? Here are some anthems that are often used in parishes. The first is "Lord, For Thy Tender Mercy's Sake" believed to be composed by Richard Farrant.

If you are looking to introduce a bit of polyphonic music but don't want to overwhelm your parish choir, consider this piece. It starts out almost choral and hymn like, then breaks into simple polyphony, with two voices taking off at a time.

A video with the musical score is not available at this time, but you can find any number of editions in public domain and available for download here.

Shown in the video below is clip of a quartet from a local parish. I have always served smaller parish choirs, and have successfully done this piece with as few as 6 people. If necessary, a keyboard accompaniment (either organ or piano) may be added. Here in the video, the organ introduces the piece, gives the tone for the quartet, then the quartet sings a capella.

Some arrangements features an "Amen" at the end. The "Amen" may or may not have been part of the original piece. Most likely it was added on later.

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Lord, for Thy tender mercy's sake
lay not our sins to our charge,
but for give that is past
and give us grace to amend our sinful lives.
To decline from sin
and incline to virtue
that we may walk in a perfect heart
before Thee now and evermore.

English Anthems: Samuel Sebastian Wesley

Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810-1876) was the grandson of Charles Wesley (of the Methodist Movement) and son of composer Samuel Wesley (known for the tune "Aurelia" commonly sung to the text "The Church's One Foundation").

Wesley uses a text straight from Scripture here. You can pick out the verses from 1 Peter 1. He sets apart some of the text with unison and solo sections. He gives one section to alto-tenor-bass in unison, then solo soprano and unison soprano echo each other from both sides of the sanctuary (think traditional Anglican set-up with the choir facing each other in the front).

You might hear elements that are similar to Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer." The two were contemporaries of each other, although Mendelssohn was a bit older. After the anthem, there is an example of Wesley's organ compositions.

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Which, according to His abundant mercy,
hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope
by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ
from the dead.

To an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled
that fadeth not away,
reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation,
ready to be revealed
in the last time.

But as He
which hath called
you is holy,
so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation.
Pass the time
of your sojourning here
in fear, in fear.

Love one another
with a pure heart fervently.
See that ye love one another.

Being born again,
not of a corruptible seed,
but of an incorruptible,
by the Word of God.

For all flesh is as grass,
and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass.
The grass withereth
and the flower thereof
falleth away.

But the Word of the Lord
endureth forever.
But the Word of the Lord
endureth forevermore.
Amen.



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Choral Song
by Samuel Sebastian Wesley
Matt Edwards, Organist
1894 Hill Pipe Organ
Thomas Coats Memorial Church
Paisley, Scotland

English Anthems: Nunc Dimittis

The Nunc Dimittis, also known as "The Song of Simeon" is used in multiple places in the Lutheran orders. In North America you can find it at the end of the Divine Service, as an option for the canticle in Vespers, and chanted a capella in the Office of Compline (sometimes called, "Prayer at the Close of the Day").

Taken from Luke's account of the Presentation of Our Lord, this is the song sung by Simeon, to whom "it had been revealed ... by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ."

Several composers have set the English translation of this text. Here is one translation and just a few English anthems based on the text.

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace
according to Thy Word,
for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation
which Thou hast prepared
before the face of all people.
To be a Light to light on the Gentiles
And to be the glory of Thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father
And to the Son
And to the Holy Ghost,
As it was the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen.

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Nunc Dimittis
by John Shephard (1515-1559)



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Nunc Dimittis
from The Shorter Service
by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625)



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Nunc Dimittis
from Evening Service in g minor
by Henry Purcell (1659-1695)



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Nunc Dimittis
by Thomas Atwood Walmisley (1814-1856)



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Nunc Dimittis in D
by George Dyson, (1883-1964)
Dyson draws on chant as well as the English anthem style



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Nunc Dimittis
from The Short Service
by Philip Stopford [b. 1977(?)]

English Anthems from Spirituals?

As I was researching this series using the highly-regarded sources of YouTube and Wikipedia (if you find it there, it has to be true!), I came across this series from contemporary English composer Michael Tippett (1905-1998).

These are thoroughly English in style and sound, yet the texts and tunes come from the African-American spirituals.

The first is "Steel Away." There is an interesting use of dissidence in the solo voice whenever the text, "the trumpet sounds," appears. Another (below) is "Go Down, Moses."

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Steal away, steal away,
Steal away to Jesus.
Steal away, steal away home;
I ain't got long to stay here.

My Lord, He calls me,
He calls me by the thunder.
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul;
I ain't got long to stay here.

Green trees are bending;
Poor sinner souls attending.
The trumpet sounds within-a my soul;
I ain't got long to stay here.



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Go down, Moses,
Way down in Egypt land,
Tell, O pharaoh, to let my people go!

When Israel was in Egypt-land,
Let my people go!
Oppressed so hard they could not stand,
Let my people go!

"Thus spake the Lord," bold Moses said,
"Let my people go!
If not, I'll smite your first born dead
Let my people go!"

English Anthems: Mendelssohn?

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847) may have been born to a Jewish family in Germany, but the English embraced his music and he has provided English-speaking people with a number of anthems.

Here is Mendelssohn's "Hear My Prayer."  This is one anthem, but due to it's length, it is featured in two parts.  Most English anthems are sung a capella by a choir.  Here Mendelssohn adds accompaniment, a solo part and a few chromatic twists found in the latter part of the "Classical Period."

Hear my prayer, O God, incline Thine ear!
Thyself from my petition do not hide.
Take heed to me!
Hear how in prayer I mourn to Thee!
Without Thee all is dark;
I have no guide.
The enemy shouteth;
The godless come fast;
Iniquity, hatred upon me they cast!
The wicked oppress me,
Ah, where shall I fly?
Perplex'd and bewilder'd,
O God, hear my cry!
O God, hear my cry!
The enemy shouteth;
The godless come fast;
Perplex'd and bewilder'd,
O God, hear my cry!
O God, hear my cry!
My heart is sorely pained within my breast,
My soul with deathly terror is oppressed,
Trembling and fearfulness upon me fall
With horror overwhelmed,
Lord, hear me call!
Lord, Hear me call!



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O for the wings of a dove;
Far away would I rove!
In the wilderness build me a nest
And remain their forever at rest.

English Anthems: Taverner, Tallis and Tavener

There is a simple beauty in a classic English anthem.

After the Reformation took root in England, composers went from lavish runs of notes on one syllable to a "one note per syllable" style. Also, the older anthems tended to be in Latin, and the newer anthems were in English.

An example of the earlier music is this "Sanctus" from John Taverner's Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas (in English, "'Glory to You, O Trinity' Mass"). Taverner was born around 1490 and died around 1545.

This is only Part 1 of the Sanctus, and you will only hear one word: Sanctus. The first syllable lasts for over 30 seconds!

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Coming along just a tad later in English history is composer Thomas Tallis (c. 1505 to 1585). Tallis embraced the newer form of "one note per syllable" using English texts and while he also composed in the older tradition, he really made a name for himself with what was then a "new form."

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This "new" tradition of one note per syllable continues even in today's English composers. Here is "The Lamb" by contemporary composer John Tavener (born in 1944; note that there is no "r" in his name). Tavener uses modern tonality yet sticks to the English tradition started in the Reformation.

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Look for more English anthems, both ancient and modern, each day this week on All for Hymn.