Christopher Gibbons

Christopher Gibbons was born into an already very musical family, established by his grandfather, William, who was head of the town waits in Oxford and Cambridge.

[1] Christopher Gibbons was born to Orlando and Elizabeth (née Patten) in Westminster where he was baptized on 22 August 1615 at St Margaret's.

However, the English Civil War - which began in earnest in 1641 - led to a suppression of Church music, and put an end to Gibbons' position.

With the return of Charles II to the English throne, Gibbons, in part because of his loyalty to the crown, was immediately welcomed into the artistic fold of the new court and, with church music again flourishing, was swiftly reinstated as a Gentleman and Organist of the Chapel Royal.

Gibbons was well-known and influential in the later part of his life (1660-1676) - he is recorded several times in the diaries of Samuel Pepys - and importantly (given his direct link to the musical tradition of the Elizabethan period) he was responsible for the nurturing of several great Restoration composers including Blow, Humfrey and, most significantly, Henry Purcell.