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An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. The term has evolved to mean a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a certain group of people, as in the term " national anthem". See below for other uses.

The word "anthem" is derived from (and was formerly synonymous with) " antiphon." The anthem developed in the Church of England as a replacement for the Catholic "votive antiphon" commonly sung as an appendix to the main office to the Blessed Virgin Mary or other saints. Though anthems were written in the Elizabethan period by Byrd, Tallis and others they are not mentioned in the Book of Common Prayer until 1666, when the famous rubric In quires and places where they sing here followeth the Anthem first appears at the end of Morning and Evening Prayer.

Early anthems tend to be simple and homophonic in texture, in order that the words could be clearly heard. Late in the 16th century the "verse anthem," in which passages for solo voices alternated with passages for full choir, began to evolve. This became the dominant form in the Restoration period, when composers such as Henry Purcell and John Blow wrote elaborate examples for the Chapel RoyalThe Chapel Royal is the official chapel of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Emerging as a distinct body in the late 13th century, it formerly had no official base, but travelled, like the rest of the court, with the monarch and held services wherever he with orchestral accompaniment. In the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended Samuel Sebastian WesleySamuel Sebastian Wesley ( 14 August 1810 — 19 April 1876) was an English organist and composer. He was born in London, the son of the composer Samuel Wesley and his partner Sarah Suter. After singing in the choir of the Chapel Royal as a boy, he embarked wrote anthems influenced by contemporary oratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. It differs from an opera in that it does not have either scenery, costumes or acting. Most oratorios from the common practice period to the present day have biblical them which could stretch to several movementsIn music, a movement is a large division of a larger composition or musical form. Symphonies are typically divided into four movements, for example, and concertos into three. Each movement has a distinct tempo and structure. Symphonies usually contain at and last twenty minutes or longer. Later in the same century Charles Villiers StanfordSir Charles Villiers Stanford ( September 30, 1852 29 March 1924) was an Irish composer. Stanford was born in Dublin, the only son of John Stanford, examiner in the court of chancery (Dublin) and clerk of the Crown, Co. Both parents were accomplished amat composed examples which used symphonic techniques to produce a more concise and unified structure. Many anthems have been produced on this model since his time, generally by organistsThe organ is a type of keyboard musical instrument, distinctive because the sound is not produced by a percussion action, as on a piano or celesta, or by means of vibrating strings, as on the harpsichord. Instead, pipe organs produce sound by means of flo rather than professional composerA composer is a person who writes music. The term refers particularly to someone who writes music in some type of musical notation, thus allowing others to perform the music. This distinguishes the composer from a musician who improvises. However, a persos and often in a conservative style. Major composers have tended to compose anthems only in response to commissions and for special occasions; examples include Edward Elgar's Great is the Lord and Give unto the Lord (both with orchestral accompaniment), Benjamin Britten's Rejoice in the Lamb (a modern example of a multi-movement anthem and today heard mainly as a concert piece) and (on a much smaller scale) Ralph Vaughan Williams' O taste and see, written for the coronation of Elizabeth II. With the relaxation of the rule, in England at least, that anthems should be only in English, the repertoire has been greatly enhanced by the addition of many works from the Latin repertory.