The Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems

The Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems is a collection of vocal scores of music from the Tudor era of England (c.1550-1625). It was published in 1978 by Oxford University Press and was compiled by the organist and publisher Christopher Morris (1922-2014), the editor of OUP who also launched the popular Carols for Choirs series of books in the 1970s.[1] The preface is written by Sir David Willcocks.

The Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems: 34 Anthems for Mixed Voices

Editor	Christopher Morris
Cover artist	William Camden
Country	United Kingdom
Language	Early Modern English, Latin
Subject	Christian music (sheet music)
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Publication date	1978
Media type	Print (paperback)
Pages	360
ISBN	978-0193533257
Website	The Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems on OUP.com

A recording was issued in 1979, Tudor Anthems (OUP 153), featuring 13 anthems from the Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems sung by the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford and conducted by Simon Preston.[2][3]

Contents

The collection encompasses 34 motets and anthems by 14 different composers who were active during the Tudor Period, sometimes referred as "the Golden Age of English church music", which spans from around 1500 to the end of the reign of King James VI and I in 1625.[4] This period in English history was especially marked by the religious upheaval of the English Reformation, which was advanced by King Edward VI. With competing demands over the language of Church of England liturgy, composers of this era variously set both Latin and English texts to music,[5] and this is reflected in the range of works presented in this book. The later anthems in English take their texts from the King James Bible of 1604, but words from earlier Bible translations such as the 1526 Tyndale Bible and from prayer books such as the 1549 Book of Common Prayer are also included.[6] A variety of musical styles is represented in the collection, from simple four-part harmony to more elaborate polyphonic motets for up to eight voices, including both a cappella pieces and anthems requiring instrumental accompaniment.[2][4]

Sources for this collection include a set of partbooks from the British Library, copied by Thomas Myriell and entitled Trisitiae Remedium (1616), and partbooks sourced from the libraries of Christ Church, Oxford (c.1620) and St Michael's College, Tenbury (c.1615).

Number	Composer	Anthem
1	Thomas Weelkes	Alleluia. I heard a voice
2	Orlando Gibbons	Almighty and everlasting God
3	Peter Philips	Ascendit Deus
4	Robert Parsons	Ave Maria
5	William Byrd	Ave verum corpus
6	Richard Farrant	Call to remembrance
7	Richard Dering	Factum est silentium
8	Christopher Tye	Give almes of thy goods
9	Thomas Weelkes	Gloria in excelsis Deo
10	William Byrd	Haec dies
11	Richard Farrant	Hide not thou thy face
12	Orlando Gibbons	Hosanna to the Son of David
13	Thomas Weelkes	Hosanna to the Son of David
14	Thomas Tomkins	I heard a voice
15	Thomas Tallis	If ye love me
16	William Byrd	Justorum animae
17	William Byrd	Laetentur coeli
18	Thomas Mudd	Let thy merciful ears
19	Richard Farrant or John Hilton	Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake
20	William Byrd	Miserere mei
21	Orlando Gibbons	O clap your hands after Psalm 47
22	Thomas Weelkes	O Lord, arise
23	Orlando Gibbons	O Lord, in thy wrath
24	William Mundy	O Lord, the maker
25	Thomas Tallis	O nata lux
26	Adrian Batten	O praise the Lord
27	William Byrd	O quam gloriosum
28	Thomas Tallis	Salvator mundi
29	William Byrd	Sing joyfully
30	William Byrd	Teach me, O Lord
31	William Byrd	This day Christ was born
32	Orlando Gibbons	This is the record of John
33	Thomas Tomkins	When David heard
34	Thomas Weelkes	When David heard

See also

• Tudor music
• List of Anglican church composers
• List of Renaissance composers
• Drexel 4180–4185
• Oxford Book of English Madrigals

References

1. "Christopher Morris, musician - obituary". Daily Telegraph. 2 March 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016.
2. Kucharski, J.A. (7 January 1979). "Books: A Golden Age Bargain". The Living Church. Morehouse-Gorham Company. 178: 81. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
3. Fallows, David (February 1990). "Tudor Anthems". Gramophone. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
4. David Willcocks in his preface to Morris, Christopher (1978). The Oxford book of Tudor anthems: 34 Anthems for Mixed Voices. Oxford: Music Department, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0193533257.
5. Unger, Melvin P. (2010). Historical dictionary of choral music. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. p. 116. ISBN 9780810873926. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
6. "Celebrating the King James Bible at 400". Gramphone. Archived from the original on 8 September 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2016.

External links

• Free scores from The Oxford Book of Tudor Anthems in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)
• Source of cover art by William Camden (1551–1623): "Drawings of the funeral procession of Elizabeth I". The British Library. Archived from the original on 2 October 2016. Retrieved 2 October 2016.