| "This Is the Record of John" | |
|---|---|
| Verse anthem by Orlando Gibbons | |
 Portrait of Orlando Gibbons | |
| Period | Tudor |
| Genre | Anglican church music |
| Form | Motet |
| Written | 1600s: England |
| Text | John 1:19–23 |
| Language | Early Modern English |
| Based on | Gospel of John |
"This Is the Record of John" is a verse anthem written by the English composer Orlando Gibbons (1583–1625). It is based on a text from the Gospel of John in the Geneva Bible and is a characteristic Anglican-style composition of its time. "John" (whose record is being told) refers to John the Baptist. The piece is divided into three sections, each beginning with a verse for solo contratenor (more like a modern tenor, but often now sung by a countertenor[1]) followed by a full section (consort of voices), echoing words of the verse. The singers are usually accompanied by organ: a viol consort is another possibility, although it is debatable how frequently viols would have been used in Jacobean services.[2]
- ^ Smith (2013). "Obituary: John Whitworth, countertenor". Gramophone. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
- ^ Morehen (1978). "The English Consort and Verse Anthems". Early Music. 6 (3): 381–385. doi:10.1093/earlyj/6.3.381. JSTOR 3125808. accessed via JSTOR, subscription required