Handel: Chandos Anthems Nos. 5a, 6a & 8

Featuring

Susan Gritton
Iestyn Davies
Thomas Hobbs
Stephen Layton
The Choir of Trinity College Cambridge
Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

George Frideric Handel

Did you know?

1/7

Composition History

The Chandos Anthems were performed during services at the parish church of St Lawrence, Little Stanmore, which Brydges had rebuilt in the Italian Baroque style.

Compositional Technique

The first eight Chandos Anthems were written in pairs, each containing one celebratory and one penitential work.

Historical Context

James Brydges, for whom Handel composed these works, made his fortune as Paymaster General to Queen Anne's forces during the War of Spanish Succession.

Recording & Production

This recording was made in Trinity College Chapel, Cambridge, in July 2012.

Notable Performances

Of all the Cannons Anthems, "O come, let us sing unto the Lord" is the only one Handel is known to have heard performed again in his lifetime.

Composition History

Handel composed these anthems, along with other works, for James Brydges, the First Duke of Chandos, who maintained a small musical establishment at his country home, Cannons.

Compositional Technique

Handel's Chandos Anthems were originally scored for a small ensemble of single or doubled strings without violas, single oboe and bassoon, and organ, with two or three men and a couple of boys for singers.