Great King of Gods - Gibbons, Orlando

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"The original source is annotated "This anthem was made for the King's being in Scotland" [1617]. Today the anthem is usually sung with the substitute text, 'Great Lord of Lords', which was composed by the Reverend H. R. Bramley for F. A. G. Ousley's edition of Gibbons' Church Music (1873)"

⌛ Period → Renaissance ◈ Genre → Verse anthems

♯ Key E- major

⁄ Time Signature 4/4

♬ Voicing → SAATB|add=with AAB solos

◆ Difficulty

Elementary

↕ Range G2 – B-5

¶ Language → English

Measures 91

Texture mixed texture

Parts 7

Instruments Viol consort

Pages 10

CPDL # 86792

Editor Jason Smart

Posted 2025-09-14

License Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

♫Pitch Ranges

Soprano

E-4 – G5

Alto 1

G3 – C5

Tenor

E-3 – G4

Bass

G2 – C4

Keyboard

G2 – G4

¶Lyrics / Text

Great King of Gods, whose gracious hand hath led Our sacred sovereign head Unto the place where first our bliss was bred: O send thine angels to his blessed side, And bid them there abide, To be at once his guardian and his guide. Dear be his life, all glorious be his days, And prospering all his ways. Late add thy last crown to his peace and praise, And when he hath outlived the world’s long date, Let thy last change translate His living flesh to thy celestial state. Amen. The text of the later 'Great Lord of Lords' (which can be substituted without too many underlay problems) is as follows: 1. Great Lord of Lords, supreme immortal King, O give us grace to sing thy praise, which makes earth, air and heav'n to ring. (Repeat Full) 2. O word of God from ages unbegun, the Father's only Son, with Him in pow'r, in substance, with him in pow'r, in substance Thou art One. (Repeat Full) 3. O Holy Ghost, whose care doth all embrace, Thy watch is o'er our race, Thou source of life, Thou spring of peace and grace, Thou source of life, [Thou spring of peace and grace, source of life,][omit from A2 solo] Thou spring of peace and grace. (Repeat Full) 4. One living Trinity, one unseen light, The earth is Thine, Thy light beholds alike the bounds of depth and height, [the bounds] of depth and height.[omit from A1 solo] (Repeat Full) Amen.