Maurice Greene was one of the outstanding musical figures in England in the first half of the eighteenth century, notwithstanding the commanding presence of Handel.

A number of his sacred works were published including his Forty Select Anthems (1743), his best-known collection, which ran to six reprints during the course of the century. Among the anthems in this publication are 0 clap your hands and Lord, let me know mine end which have enjoyed a secure place in the repertoire to the present day. Although Lord, how long wilt Thou be angry is less well-known it achieves variety, individuality, expressiveness and fluency placing it in the top flight of Greene's anthems.