28 Facts About Orlando Gibbons

1.

Orlando Gibbons is often seen as a transitional figure from the Renaissance to the Baroque periods.

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2.

The most important position achieved by Orlando Gibbons was his appointment in 1623 as the organist at Westminster Abbey which he held for 2 years until his death.

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3.

Orlando Gibbons developed Byrd's foundations of the English madrigal, full and verse anthems, and by doing so he exerted significant influence on subsequent English composers.

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4.

Therefore, even though 17th-century biographer Anthony Wood discovered a record of an "Orlando Gibbons" being baptised in St Martin's Church, Oxford, it was assumed that Gibbons was born in Cambridge but baptized in Oxford.

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5.

Not only was the baptismal record shown to be authentic, but it was discovered that Orlando Gibbons's parents both resided in Oxford at the time of his birth, confirming that Orlando Gibbons was born in Oxford and baptized at St Martin's, Oxford.

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6.

Orlando Gibbons was born into a musical family: not only was his father a musician, but his oldest brother, Edward, was a composer and master of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge.

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7.

Orlando Gibbons's second brother, Ellis, was a promising composer but died prematurely, and his third brother, Ferdinando, eventually took their father's place as a wait.

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8.

Not much else is known about Orlando Gibbons's youth, but being born into a musical family he was almost certainly instructed on a keyboard instrument and perhaps the viol.

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9.

Orlando Gibbons was a regular member of the choir until some time in the Michaelmas term of 1598.

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10.

The Chapel Royal was a sizable group of priests and musicians who attended to the Monarch and royal household and Orlando Gibbons name appears at this time in a cheque book of the Chapel.

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11.

Orlando Gibbons was a Gentleman Extraordinary awaiting the vacancy of a paid position.

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12.

Later in 1606, Orlando Gibbons graduated from Cambridge with the degree of Bachelor in Music.

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13.

Orlando Gibbons became a close friend of Sir Christopher Hatton, the second cousin and heir of the more famous Christopher Hatton, favourite of Queen Elizabeth I Though Hatton was a minor figure in court, he became an important patron to Gibbons.

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14.

Orlando Gibbons dedicated the entire set of works to Hatton: "[The songs] were most of them composed in your owne [sic] house, and doe therefore properly belong unto you, as Lord of the Soile; the language they speake you provided them, I onely furnished them with Tongues to utter the same name".

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15.

In 1613 Orlando Gibbons had six works published in the first printed collection of English keyboard music, Parthenia, which included works by the older composers, Byrd and Bull.

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16.

Orlando Gibbons's compositions written around the time of Parthenia include various anthems dedicated to senior nobles and clergy: the pavane Lord Salisbury for Lord Salisbury, the wedding anthem Blessed are all they for the Earl of Somerset, as well as anthems for Godfrey Goodman, William Laud and Anthony Maxey.

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17.

Orlando Gibbons seems to have taken Bull's place, who was in financial jeopardy.

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18.

Orlando Gibbons continued writing for James I, composing the anthem Great King of Gods and the court song Do not repine, fair sun in celebration of the King's 1617 visit to Scotland.

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19.

In 1617 Orlando Gibbons gained the position as keyboard player in an ensemble, organised by John Cooper, for the privy chamber of Prince Charles .

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20.

Orlando Gibbons was the only keyboardist in a group of 17 musicians which included Alfonso Ferrabosco the younger, Thomas Ford, Robert Johnson and Thomas Lupo.

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21.

The author Sir John Hawkins and musicologists Fellowes and David Mateer state unequivocally that Orlando Gibbons was awarded a doctorate along with Heather, and cite O clap your hands as the composer's qualifying exercise for the degree.

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22.

Orlando Gibbons died at age 41 in Canterbury and was buried in Canterbury Cathedral.

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23.

Orlando Gibbons's death was a shock to his peers and brought about a post-mortem, although the cause of death aroused less comment than the haste of his burial and his body not being returned to London.

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24.

One incident in Orlando Gibbons's life is described by Harley as "the most bizarre event of Orlando Gibbons's career".

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25.

Orlando Gibbons's career was primarily centered around court, where he seems to have been increasingly successful.

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26.

Orlando Gibbons wrote a large number of keyboard works, around thirty fantasias for viols, a number of madrigals, and many popular verse anthems, all to English texts .

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27.

Orlando Gibbons produced two major settings of Evensong, the Short Service and the Second Service, an extended composition combining verse and full sections.

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28.

Orlando Gibbons's writing exhibits a command of three- and four-part counterpoint.

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