The music of Henry Purcell needs little introduction, and his place in the sacred choral repertoire has remained unchallenged since the composer’s lifetime. The start of the 20th Century saw a revival of interest in his works for the stage, leading to a wider appraisal of his work as a whole. Indeed, his influence on later composers such as Benjamin Britten goes far beyond works such as ‘The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra’, and can be seen most clearly in Britten’s vocal writing in his own operas. However, Purcell’s church music is considered equally important, and his setting of ‘Thou knowest, Lord’ has been sung at every state funeral since its composition. Purcell was born shortly before the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy, which fostered the careers of important court composers such as Pelham Humfrey (1647-1674) and John Blow (1649-1708). Humfrey, whose dates are as pleasingly symmetrical as Purcell’s own, was a rising star during his short life, and was sent by the King to study in Paris. Here he fell under the influence of the French court, particularly in the use of string instruments, and imported this continental style into England. Humfrey’s symphony anthems such as ‘O Lord, my God’ evidently had a great effect on the work of the young Purcell, but he also absorbed the influence of Blow during this time. In addition to such examples of exuberant, flamboyant music set to celebrate the revival of the Chapel Royal, there is a corpus of simpler works for day-to-day use that requires only voices and organ. The effect of the Civil War was most noticeable on the boys of the choir, who had been inadequately trained in the years preceding the Restoration. At best, this deficiency was remedied by the occasional verse anthem wherein the men sang the solo parts, with the boys only joining in for a few brief choruses, as can be seen in such anthems as ‘Thy word is a lantern’. At worst, the men of the choir tacitly supported the front row with their own attempts at falsetto. The more straightforward anthems by Blow seem to be the inspiration for ‘O God, the King of glory’, away from the foreign influences displayed by Humfrey. Purcell’s setting of this anthem dates from around 1677, when he was only eighteen. This early age is all the more remarkable in light of his death another eighteen years later at the age of 36. The style of the work is simple yet declamatory, with passages of imitation that are decorative, not structural. ‘O God, the King of glory’ sets the Collect for the Sunday after Ascension Day as found in The Book of Common Prayer. The text is based largely on the Magnificat antiphon for Ascension found in the Roman Rite, namely ‘O rex gloriae’. In common with this motet text, ‘O God, the King of glory’ is also appropriate not only for the Ascension but for the feast of Christ the King later in the year.