Put Thy Trust in God

After arriving in London with a grand reputation as an opera composer, Handel soon proved that he was no less skilled as a composer of church music on a smaller scale. Handel's so-called Chandos Anthems were written as part of his duties as composer-in-residence at Cannons, the opulent mansion of the first Duke of Chandos, between 1717 and 1718. This chorus is a short, accessible fugal chorus that can be used to teach succinctly, elements of Baroque counterpoint. The middle voice part can be sung by either altos, tenors, or perhaps best, a mixture of the two. Robert Duff