A study of the life and music of Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625). It investigates in detail the family and musical background from which Orlando Gibbons emerged, and provides an account of the activities of his father, William Gibbons. It traces, too, the activities of Orlando's brothers - Edward, Ferdinando and Ellis. Since Edward Gibbons achieved a degree of eminence, the description of his life and music is quite full. Attention naturally focuses principally on Orlando Gibbons. A full record is given of his remarkably youthful appointment as an organist of the Chapel Royal (he was probably less than 20 at the time) and of his life at court. His additional appointments as one of Prince Charles's musicians and as organist of Westminster Abbey are also described, as is his sudden and premature death in his early forties. Gibbons's music is examined in a series of chapters dealing with his pieces for keyboard and for viols, his songs, his full and verse anthems, and his works for the Anglican liturgy. His development as a composer within these genres is followed, and the character of particular pieces is considered.
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