anthem - History

A sacred vocal composition to an English text, often from the Book of Psalms. 16th-c composers, including Byrd and Tallis, wrote numerous examples, but the anthem was not included in the rubric of the Anglican liturgy until 1662. Purcell excelled in the genre, and also in the instrumentally-accompanied anthem which flourished after the Restoration. The notion later developed a secular sense, referring to a song of praise composed in honour of someone or something, as in the case of national anthems.

The term has evolved to mean a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a certain group of people, as in the term "national anthem". See below for other uses.

History

The word "anthem" is derived from the Greek αντιφωνα through the Saxon antefn, a word which originally had the same meaning as antiphony. It is just as usual in this place to have an ordinary hymn as an anthem, which may be a more elaborate composition than the congregational hymns. Though the anthem of the Church of England is analogous to the motet of the Roman Catholic and Lutheran Churches, both being written for a trained choir and not for the congregation, it is as a musical form essentially English in its origin and development.

The anthem developed as a replacement for the Catholic "votive antiphon" commonly sung as an appendix to the main office to the Blessed Virgin Mary or other saints. Though anthems were written in the Elizabethan period by Byrd, Tallis and others they are not mentioned in the Book of Common Prayer until 1662, when the famous rubric "In quires and places where they sing here followeth the Anthem" first appears.

Early anthems tended to be simple and homophonic in texture, in order that the words could be clearly heard. Many anthems have been produced on this model since his time, generally by organists rather than professional composers and often in a conservative style. Major composers have tended to compose anthems only in response to commissions and for special occasions; examples include Edward Elgar's Great is the Lord and Give unto the Lord (both with orchestral accompaniment), Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb (a modern example of a multi-movement anthem and today heard mainly as a concert piece), and (on a much smaller scale) Ralph Vaughan Williams' O taste and see, written for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. With the relaxation of the rule, in England at least, that anthems should be only in English, the repertoire has been greatly enhanced by the addition of many works from the Latin repertory. the term "anthem" often refers to any short sacred choral work presented during the course of a worship service.