Description
This is an instrumental arrangement of Orlando Gibbons’ anthem O clap your hands, in which I imagine Orlando visiting his contemporary Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice and working on this piece with him for a performance at St Mark’s.
The original 8 part anthem has been split into three groups of instrumentalists (8 wind, 8 strings and 8 brass) who answer each other antiphonally and sometimes play together.
All the notes are Orlando’s but I have made a few octave changes to fit the instruments more effectively.
The words of the original anthem are from Psalm 47 (including the lesser Doxology)
O clap your hands together, all ye people: O sing unto God with the voice of melody.
For the Lord is high, and to be feared: he is the great King upon all the earth.
He shall subdue the people under us: and the nations under our feet.
He shall choose out an heritage for us: even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.
God is gone up with a merry noise: and the Lord with the sound of the trumpet.
O sing praises, sing praises unto our God: O sing praises, sing praises unto our King.
For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding.
God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon his holy seat.
The princes of the people are joined unto the people of the God of Abraham:
for God, which is very high exalted, doth defend the earth, as it were with a shield.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son: and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen.