GIBBONS, ORLANDO (1583-1625), English composer, was the most illustrious of a family of musicians all more or less able. His father, William Gibbons (d. 1595) was one of the "waits" of Cambridge, and his three sons, and, at least, one of his grandsons, were all good musicians. The eldest son, Edward (c. 1570—c. 165o), was priest-vicar and succentor at Exeter cathedral, and some of his music is extant in various libraries. Ellis (1573— 1603) contributed two madrigals to Morley's Triumphs of Oriana. Orlando, the youngest and most famous of the brothers, was born at Cambridge, Dec. 25, 1583. At 12 years of age he became a chorister of King's college, Cambridge, and in due course a sizar of the college, taking his degree of Mus.D. in 1606. At the age of 21, he became organist of the Chapel Royal. Gibbons received many marks of royal favour, and in 1619 was appointed one of the king's musicians for the virginals. In 1622 he received the honor ary degree of Mus. Doc. at Oxford, for which occasion he com posed the anthem "0, clap your hands." Next year he was ap pointed organist of Westminster Abbey, but only lived to hold the post for two years. In 1625 he went to Canterbury to produce a composition written in honour of the marriage of Charles to Hen rietta Maria, and there died of apoplexy on June 5, 1625. He was buried in Canterbury cathedral.
The works published by Gibbons during his lifetime were Fan tasies in Three Parts, composed for viols (c. 161o), said to have been the first piece of music in England printed from engraved copper plates; six pieces for the virginals printed in the collection called Parthenia (1611); Madrigals and Motets of 5 parts, Apt for Viols and Voices (1612), which rank among the most ex quisite of his works ; and two anthems printed in Leighton's Teares or Lamentaciones (1614) . His fame was kept alive as a composer of church music by the selections from his services and anthems printed by Barnard in his First Book of Selected Church Music (1641), and by Boyce in his Cathedral Music (176o-78) . Some 4o anthems by Gibbons are in existence. Some of these are in the polyphonic style of which he was a consummate master ; others show him as a pioneer in the new form developed by Blow, Purcell and others of a later generation, for they have solos, often with instrumental accompaniment, and chorus. He wrote church services in both the old and the new style, and left 17 hymn tunes marked with his own peculiar dignity of expression.
A collection of Gibbons's church music was edited by Sir F. Ouseley, in 1873 ; a complete edition is in the Carnegie edition of Tudor Church Music (vol. iv., 1925) . His pieces for keyboard instruments were edited by Margaret Glyn (5 vols., 1925), and some of his music for strings by Fellowes (5924). See Margaret H. Glyn, About Elizabeth and Virginal Music and its Composers (1924), and E. H. Fellowes, Orlando Gibbons (Oxford, 1925) .