anthem

anthem
/an"theuhm/, n.
1. a song, as of praise, devotion, or patriotism: the national anthem of Spain; our college anthem.
2. a piece of sacred vocal music, usually with words taken from the Scriptures.
3. a hymn sung alternately by different sections of a choir or congregation.
v.t.
4. to celebrate with or in an anthem.
[bef. 1000; ME antem, OE antemn(e), antefne < LL antefana, antiphona (fem. sing.) < Gk antíphona (see ANTIPHON); sp. with h prob. by assoc. with HYMN, with pron. then changed to reflect sp.]

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Choral composition with English words used in church services.

It developed in the mid-16th century as the Anglican version of the Catholic Latin motet. The full anthem is for unaccompanied chorus throughout; the verse anthem employs one or more soloists and, generally, instrumental accompaniment. Both types often employ antiphonal singing, the alternation of two half-choirs (anthem derives from antiphon). William Byrd, Thomas Tallis, Henry Purcell, and George Frideric Handel wrote well-known anthems.

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music
      (Greek antiphōna: “against voice”; Old English antefn: “antiphon”), choral composition with English words, used in Anglican (Anglicanism) and other English-speaking church services. It developed in the mid-16th century in the Anglican Church as a musical form analogous to the Roman Catholic motet (q.v.), a choral composition with a sacred Latin text.

      At first, unaccompanied choral writing, or full anthem, was the norm. In the 16th century the growth of the verse anthem (which used a solo vocal part and eventually many soloists as well as a choir) encouraged the use of instrumental accompaniment, either by the organ or by instrumental groups, such as wind instruments or viols. Shortly after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 it was common, at least in the royal chapel, to perform anthems with orchestral accompaniment. In the 1700s the full anthem ousted to some extent the verse anthem, although solo passages were occasionally used for special effect.

      Both full and verse anthems frequently utilized antiphony (antiphon), the alternation of two half choirs. These were usually referred to as decani (the dean's side) and cantoris (the precentor's, or choirmaster's, side). The contrast of the half choirs and, in elaborate verse anthems, of subsections for soloists, instruments, or choir, provided a subtle effect of fluctuating tone colour and sonority that often reflected the mood or sense of the text. Verse anthems alternating soloists, instrumental passages, and choir often resembled the cantatas used in Lutheran worship. Among notable composers of anthems are Thomas Tomkins, Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

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  • Anthem — Жанр хеви метал Годы 1985 1992 1985 наст. время Страна …   Википедия

  • Anthem — An them ([a^]n th[e^]m), n. [OE. antym, antefne, AS. antefen, fr. LL. antiphona, fr. Gr. anti fwna, neut. pl. of anti fwnon antiphon, or anthem, n. neut., from anti fwnos sounding contrary, returning a sound; anti over against + fwnh sound, voice …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • anthem — (izg. èntem) m DEFINICIJA glazb. zborna kompozicija u Engleskoj na biblijske tekstove ili na parafraze biblijskih tekstova SINTAGMA National anthem (izg. nèšonal anthem) term. britanska himna (God Save the Queen/King) ETIMOLOGIJA engl.: himna …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Anthem — An them, v. t. To celebrate with anthems. [Poet.] [1913 Webster] Sweet birds antheming the morn. Keats. [1913 Webster] || …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Anthem — (engl., spr. Enthem), in der englischen Kirche der in die Mitte des Altargottesdienstes eingelegte Figuralgesang, der vom Chor ausgeführt wird …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Anthem — Anthem, in England der Name für kirchliche Kompositionen einer zwischen Kantate und Motette stehenden Faktur. Man unterscheidet »full anthems«, in denen der Chor überwiegt, u. »verse anthems«, worin Soli, Duette etc. vorherrschen. Die Texte sind… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Anthem — (engl., spr. ännthĕm), eine etwa unsern Motetten vergleichbare Gattung von engl. Kirchenstücken …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • anthem — ● anthem nom masculin (ancien anglais antefn, du latin ecclésiastique antiphona, du grec antiphonos, qui répond à) Composition religieuse propre à l Église anglicane et reposant sur des traductions de textes bibliques. (Elle prend la forme de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • anthem — (n.) O.E. ontemn, antefn, a composition (in prose or verse) sung antiphonally, from L.L. antefana, from Gk. antiphona verse response (see ANTIPHON (Cf. antiphon)). Sense evolved to a composition set to sacred music (late 14c.), then song of… …   Etymology dictionary

  • anthem — [n] song canticle, chant, chorus, hymn, melody, paean; concepts 263,595 …   New thesaurus

  • anthem — ► NOUN 1) an uplifting song associated with a group or cause, especially a patriotic one adopted by a country as an expression of national identity. 2) a musical setting of a religious text to be sung by a choir during a church service.… …   English terms dictionary

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