motet notes - Gibbons

“The organ was touched by the best finger of that age, Mr. Orlando Gibbons." So goes one description of one of Gibbons performances as First Organist of Westminster Abbey, and he may still be best known through some of his outstanding keyboard pieces, especially the splendid Pavane and Galliard Lord Salisbury. He was also the composer of numerous fantasies for viol, filled with British blue-note harmony and lavishly independent lines. "This is the Record of John" is from a collection of verse anthems, texts often paraphrasing Bible stories, in this case a plainspoken retelling of the encounter with John the Baptist in the wilderness.

A solo singer narrates, accompanied by viols or keyboard (in our performance modern strings) and a choir responds. The piece manages to tell the familiar story with both ritual dignity and charm.

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