Gloria Patri, Z 104

Henry Purcell, a leading composer of the English Baroque, wrote this setting of the Gloria Patri for three male voices (ATB). The Latin text is a standard doxology, traditionally sung as a concluding stanza to psalms and canticles. It affirms the eternal glory of the Trinity, echoing the familiar words of the Lesser Doxology, 'As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.' The music is cast as a canon, a form where voices enter in succession, imitating a melodic line. This contrapuntal technique creates a rich and unified texture, typical of sacred music from the period.