Description
The twelve anthems of Matthew Jeffries (ca. 1558–ca.1615) given in this edition include three consort anthems with accompaniment for viols, and an extended verse anthem, described as "A prayer for the King and the Royal Family." The remainder are full anthems in four, five, six, and eight parts, none of which has been published before. Most of the anthems are settings of verses from the psalms, as given in the Book of Common Prayer. The works of Jeffries, a singingman and Master of the Choristers at Wells Cathedral for most of his life, are assured in their construction, contrasting contrapuntal and homophonic passages in a most expressive manner. The anthem scores have been assembled from voice parts in a variety of manuscript partbooks, held in various libraries in Great Britain and the United States. Even so, some anthems lack a voice part, which has been reconstructed by the editor.
Content
Consort Anthems
- If the Lord Himself
- Out of the Deep
- Sing We Merrily
Full Anthems
4. Praise the Lord, O Ye Servants
5. My Love Is Crucified
6. Praise the Lord, Ye Servants
7. Sing We Merrily
8. In Thee, O Lord, Do I Trust
9. Lord, Remember David
10. Rejoice in the Lord, O Ye Righteous
11. My Song Shall Be Alway
Verse Anthem
12. Praise the Lord, the God of Might
Appendix: Incipits of Unattributed Anthems
- Behold, How Good and Joyful
- Behold Now, Praise the Lord
- Bow Down Thine Ear, O Lord
- Lord, I Am Not High-Minded
- O Sing unto the Lord a New Song
- Rejoice in the Lord, O Ye Righteous
- Let God Arise