Three Penitential Hymns from the Gostling Manuscript – III. Turn Thy Face from my Sins

Description

These penitential anthems were transcribed by Dr. George Guest from the Gostling Manuscript. John Gostling was renowned for his extraordinary bass voice an held positions in the Church of England, eventually becoming Sub-Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Gostling was also a prolific copyist and his manuscript contains over 60 anthems of Blow, Purcell, Locke and others.In “Turn Thy Face from my Sins”, Matthew Locke illuminates the text from Psalm 51 in a subtle and sensitive way. Locke uses imitation and increasing rhythmic intensity to build the piece towards the final Gloria. As the verse parts are more virtuosic in nature, they could perhaps be sung by soloists, creating further textural variety. Dr. Guest has transcribed this anthem up a tone in order to place it more comfortably for contemporary choirs, and he provides suggested tempi and dynamics.