West Gallery Music Association
 Welcome to an Anthems Database!

Rationale and Definitions

The object of this list is identify West Gallery anthems and refer them to their sources. Set Pieces and Chanting Tunes have been excluded in order to reduce the burden of research; perhaps the time will come for their inclusion. 

It was necessary to define what constitutes a West Gallery anthem. Clearly this list is not intended to include anthems from the cathedral repertoire, but reference to the list shows that it includes Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and Zadok the Priest, and Purcell’s Rejoice in the Lord. Where to draw the line? I have used the definition of West Gallery music which I developed in my thesis: sacred music composed or arranged between 1700 and 1850 and intended to be performable by a choir of moderate ability without keyboard accompaniment. Where anthems such as those mentioned above occur in a collection most of whose material broadly satisfies my definition, I include them.

Anthems differ from strophic settings in that their texts rarely change. They may therefore be readily ordered alphabetically by text incipit, rather than according to the notes of their airs, as are the strophic settings in the HTI. The text and air incipit are added to distinguish between different settings with the same or similar text incipits. They are not given primarily for initial identification, though the list may readily be presented ordered alphabetically by Text or Air Incipit if needed. No originality is claimed for the system used to describe the air incipits, versions of which have appeared before. I feel that the letters are more effective than Temperley’s numerical system, firstly because they make it easier to hear the outline of the air in ones head, and secondly because they dispense with the cumbersome U’s and D’s needed to make changes of octave.

The quantity of data given about both sources and anthems is deliberately limited in order to present as many entries as possible on a single line, in the hope of facilitating readability and accessibility. I have not yet attempted to identify composers, nor have I yet entered data from more than one edition of the same source. All this can be done in the fullness of time, but it will greatly increase the quantity of data appearing with each entry.
 

The attached lists of sources and anthems are based on my own research, some carried out while working on my thesis and some since. I started this data base mainly for my own use, and much data that I have in longhand remains to be entered. It occurred to me that it might be the basis of a more general list, to which all WG researchers might contribute, perhaps through a website. I submit it to this meeting hoping for some opinions about the manner in which I have set out the information, and whether it can be improved. I do not guarantee total scholastic accuracy, as the data base is still under construction. Question marks show missing or doubtful data.

The Source List lists the sources whose data have so far been entered on the Anthem List.

No. heads a column whose numbers are for identification only. They have no significance other than representing the order in which the sources’ data was entered. As set out in the table, they correspond with the entry numbers allocated by the software in the leftmost column. However, when the records are set out in a different order, (say alphabetically or by date) these numbers are retained.

HTI heads a column giving the Source Code as in Temperley’s Hymn Tune Index (OUP, 1998) (HTI). Sources not listed there are coded according to Temperley’s system, the new codes being preceded by the degree sign º. A full explanation of the system appears in the Index in Volume I, pp. 79-81.

$ heads a column referring to an internal reference system in my thesis. This column should be ignored.

Date heads a column giving a known or estimated date of publication, quoted from the Hymn Tune Index when given there.

Compiler gives the compiler’s surname in full, plus an initial where two compilers share a surname.

Title gives the source’s title. Lengthy titles are truncated, and the following abbreviations are used:

The Anthem List lists all anthems which have been found in the sources listed. An anthem is defined as a through-composed setting of a sacred prose text. Set pieces (through-composed settings of metrical texts) are excluded, as are chanting tunes which are not through-composed.

Numbers in the leftmost column are allocated by the software. The number of a given entry may change when new data is added.

Text incipit heads a column giving the opening text sung by the voice bearing the air. Repeated text which appears once only in the text’s source is enclosed in square brackets. Such text is sometimes further abbreviated to initial letters of words only.

Text heads a column stating the Bible chapter or other source of the text. Psalm texts may be from the Book of Common Prayer. Liturgical texts are identified by their usual names, except for canticles which are psalms, identified by their psalm number.

Air incipit describes the opening musical phrase(s) sung by the air-bearing part. The initial number (2 or 3) identifies the pulse of this phrase as duple or triple. The sign + or - then indicates the major or minor mode respectively. The sign (.) or & then indicates whether the air begins on the downbeat or some other beat respectively. Any leading rests or instrumental symphonies are ignored for this purpose.

Where an anthem begins with rests in the air-bearing part, the phrase in another prominent part is given. The sign / shows where the incipit given passes from one part to another. Identifying the part which bears the air is sometimes a matter of opinion. However, the totality of the data provided should be enough to identify the anthem.

The letters which follow indicate the pitches of the initial phrase, according to the following system. The phrase is transposed into C major or A minor, according to mode. The lowest note in the phrase is described by an upper case letter in the octave A-G. All other notes are described in relation to this note, using lower case letters a-g for the octave next above A-G, and further lower case letters (h-m) for any notes from the third octave. The Air Incipit of Anthem No. 2 (John Broderip’s well known “Awake up my Glory”) illustrates all aspects of the system used.

Sources/pages heads a column showing in which of the listed sources the anthem has been found, and on what page. Thus Awake up my Glory  appears from p. 72 onwards in Source 3, from p. 21 of Source 7, and from p. 118 of Source 19. An asterisk identifies Source 19 as the earliest source of this anthem yet examined. Details of these sources appear in the Source List.