ANTHEM

ANTHEM. — From the Greek ἀντικωμή = antifonata, an English term used in the liturgy of the Anglican Church to denote a religious composition on a biblical text in the form of a motet (principal composers: Tye, Tallis, Byrd, Gibbons). With the spread of monodic style around the mid-17th century, it evolved into a composition akin to the cantata, featuring, besides lesser composers such as Humphrey, Blow, Wise, Clarke and others, the outstanding figures of H. Purcell and G. F. Händel. Expanded in its instrumental part, the anthem has remained in use in England to the present day.