Orlando and Christopher Gibbons

In the north choir aisle of Westminster Abbey is a black marble bust in memory of organist and composer Orlando Gibbons. It is a copy by A.G. Walker of the bust in Canterbury Cathedral and was presented in 1907 by the Worshipful Company of Musicians.

The gilded inscription reads:

ORLANDO GIBBONS ORGANIST 1625

Orlando Gibbons

Orlando was born in Oxford and baptised there on 25th December 1583. His parents William (died 1595), a musician, and Mary actually lived in Cambridge. His brothers were Edward, Ferdinando and Ellis. After serving as a chorister at King's College Cambridge, where his brother Edward was Master of the Choristers, he became a member of the Chapel Royal and probably took part in the coronation of James I in 1603 and some royal funerals. He was organist at the Chapel Royal 1604-1625 and court musician, writing songs, hymns, madrigals, keyboard music and anthems. He was perhaps the greatest composer of his day.  A commentator described how the Abbey's music was 'the sweetest ...both for the organ and for the voices that was ever heard in an English choir'. His hymn tunes were published in The Hymnes and Songs of the Church, 1623. 

In 1606 he married Elizabeth Patten and their children were James, Alice, Christopher, Ann, Mary, Elizabeth and Orlando, all baptised in St Margaret's Westminster.  By 1609 he was living in the Woolstaple area in this parish. His First set of Madrigals and Motets of 5 parts was published in 1612. He was organist of Westminster Abbey 1623-1625. Among his famous anthems are 'O clap your hands together', 'See, the Word is Incarnate' and 'Hosanna to the Son of David'. His Short Service is well known.

He died suddenly (possibly of the plague) in Canterbury on 5th June 1625 on a visit to the city with the King and the Chapel Royal, and was buried in the cathedral there. A monument was erected there by his widow.  She was buried in St Margaret's church Westminster on 2nd July 1626 but has no marker.

Christopher Gibbons

Christopher, son of Orlando, was also an organist and composer and was baptised on 22nd August 1615 at St Margaret's Westminster. He was in the choir at Exeter, and was possibly a chorister at the Chapel Royal, where he was later organist. He served as organist at Winchester Cathedral from 1638, and then at Westminster Abbey 1660-1664 and was also Master of the Choristers 1664-1666. He is mentioned several times in Samuel Pepys diary.

On 23rd September 1646 he married Mary, daughter of Dr Robert Kercher, prebendary of Winchester, at St Bartholomew the Less church in London.  They appear to have had no children. He married secondly in 1655 widow Elizabeth Filbridge (nee Ball) and they had five children - Orlando, Christopher, Elizabeth, Mary and Anne. They were all baptised at St Clement Danes church in London between 1656 and 1660.  Its possible that she was the Elizabeth Bull (Ball) buried in the Abbey cloisters on 27th December 1682.

He was buried on 24th October 1676 in the Abbey cloisters but he has no marker or memorial.

Further reading

In the Abbey archives is a bill signed by Orlando for work done by the organ maker J.Burward (illustrated here)

A commemoration service for Orlando was held in the Abbey on June 29th 1925.

"Orlando Gibbons and the Gibbons family of musicians" by John Harley, 1999

"Orlando Gibbons. A short account of his life and work" by Edmund Fellowes, 1925

"A biographical dictionary of English Court Musicians 1485-1714" compiled by Andrew Ashbee and David Lasocki, 1998.

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - Christopher Gibbons