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An '''anthem''' (a term derived from [[antiphon]] is an [[English]] development of the [[motet]]. It is a choral setting of a sacred or moral text usually sung during a service.

An '''anthem''' (a term derived from [[antiphon]]) is an [[English]] development of the [[motet]]. It is a choral setting of a sacred or moral text usually sung during a service.

Whilst a four-part unaccompanied form is known from the mid-16th century, by about 1600 there began variations in which added solo voices and instrumental (usually organ) accompaniment appeared. The anthem became a formal part of the [[Anglican]] service and was acknowledged in the [[Book of Common Prayer]] of 1662. By then it was being written in a more dramatic style and strings began to appear. It reached full potential with [[Handel]]’s Coronation and Chandos Anthems in the first half of the 18th century. (Handel’s first Coronation Anthem, “''Zadoc the Priest''” is one of the most-loved choral pieces of all time.)

Whilst a four-part unaccompanied form is known from the mid-16th century, by about 1600 there began variations in which added solo voices and instrumental (usually organ) accompaniment appeared. The anthem became a formal part of the [[Anglican]] service and was acknowledged in the [[Book of Common Prayer]] of 1662. By then it was being written in a more dramatic style and strings began to appear. It reached full potential with [[Handel]]’s Coronation and Chandos Anthems in the first half of the 18th century. (Handel’s first Coronation Anthem, “''Zadoc the Priest''” is one of the most-loved choral pieces of all time.)