View source for Orlando Gibbons

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{{Infobox_Person 
| name = Orlando Gibbons
| residence =
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| image = Orlando Gibbons.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Orlando Gibbons
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1583|12|25}}
| birth_place = [[Oxford]], [[England]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|1625|6|5|1583|12|25}}
| death_place = [[Canterbury]], [[England]]
| death_cause =
| known = 
| occupation = [[Musician]], [[composer]]
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'''Orlando Gibbons''' (born: [[Oxford]], [[baptism|baptised]] 25 December 1583; died [[Canterbury]], 5 June 1625) was an [[English people|English]] [[composer]] and [[pipe organ|organist]].  He was one of the most important composers of his day.  He is famous for his [[Anglican church music|church music]] and [[pipe organ|organ]] music.  He lived in the late [[Tudor period|Tudor]] and early [[Jacobean era|Jacobean periods]].

Gibbons was born in [[Oxford]] where his father was a [[city wait]].  The family moved to [[Cambridge]] and his brother Edward, who was 15 years older than Orlando, became Master of the Choristers at [[King’s College, Cambridge|King’s College]].   Between 1596 and 1598 Orlando sang in the choir of King's College, Cambridge where his brother was master.  He entered the university in 1598 and got the degree of Bachelor of Music in 1606. He married and had seven children.

[[James I of England|James I]] made him a Gentleman of the [[Chapel Royal]], where he was organist from at least 1615 until his death. In 1625 he became senior organist at the Chapel Royal, with [[Thomas Tomkins]] as junior organist. He was also [[Keyboard instrument|keyboard]] player (mainly [[harpsichord]]) in the privy chamber of the court of Prince Charles (later [[Charles I of England|King Charles I]]), and organist at [[Westminster Abbey]].  He died an early death in Canterbury of [[apoplexy]], and a monument to him was built in [[Canterbury Cathedral]].

Gibbons wrote a lot of [[keyboard instrument|keyboard]] works, around thirty [[Fantasia (music)|fantasias]] for [[viol]]s, some [[madrigal]]s (the best-known being ''The Silver Swan''), and many popular [[anthem]]s.  He was very good at writing [[counterpoint]] as well as lovely [[melody|melodies]].  His famous verse anthem ''This is the record of John'' is often sung by choirs at [[Advent]]. It has a lovely solo for a  [[countertenor]] who takes it in turns with the full chorus.  Gibbons wrote two settings of the [[Service setting (music)|Evensong]] service: a long one with several verses, and the ''Short'' service. His full anthems include ''O Lord in thy wrath'', and the [[Palm Sunday]] setting of ''O clap your hands together'' for 8 voices.

== References ==
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[[Category:1583 births]]
[[Category:1625 deaths]]
[[Category:Baroque composers]]
[[Category:English composers]]
[[Category:English organists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oxford]]
[[Category:Renaissance composers]]