A symphony anthem is more commonly known as a verse anthem; it is a large multi-sectional Anglican piece that, unlike the motet, alternates solo (or small-group) verses with full-choir sections. The symphony anthem designation was often applied to pieces that contained substantial instrumental parts. That's true of these works by John Blow, organist at Westminster Abbey and teacher to Henry Purcell. Blow didn't have his student's gift for melodies that cling, and he's known mostly for some short pieces that contain striking ...
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A symphony anthem is more commonly known as a verse anthem; it is a large multi-sectional Anglican piece that, unlike the motet, alternates solo (or small-group) verses with full-choir sections. The symphony anthem designation was often applied to pieces that contained substantial instrumental parts. That's true of these works by John Blow, organist at Westminster Abbey and teacher to Henry Purcell. Blow didn't have his student's gift for melodies that cling, and he's known mostly for some short pieces that contain striking uses of dissonance. The harmonic genius is also present here but distributed across wider spaces: sample and note the unusually varied tonal areas in O sing unto the Lord. These are substantial works, all but one more than ten minutes long, and there are few pieces with the same combination of festivity and weight until you get to Handel. The notes are by the conductor, Robert Quinney, and they're historical in nature. With its rich sound (gut strings with the lower ones emphasized,...
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