| Chandos Anthems | |
|---|---|
| by George Frideric Handel | |
 The Chandos Portrait of Handel | |
| Other name | Anthems for Cannons |
| Catalogue | HWV 246–256 |
| Year | 1717–18 |
| Period | Baroque |
| Genre | Sacred choral music |
| Text | Psalms |
| Language | English |
| Vocal | STB choir |
| Instrumental |
|
Chandos Anthems, HWV 246–256, is the common name of a set of anthems written by George Frideric Handel. These sacred choral compositions number eleven; a twelfth of disputed authorship is not considered here. The texts are psalms and combined psalm verses in English. Handel wrote the anthems as composer in residence at Cannons, the court of James Brydges, who became the First Duke of Chandos in 1719. His chapel was not yet finished, and services were therefore held at St Lawrence in Whitchurch. The scoring is intimate, in keeping with the possibilities there. Some of the anthems rely on earlier works, and some were later revised for other purposes.
Ten of the anthems were published in 1748. With a leading Jubilate, an additional closing anthem in different scoring, and in different order, they were published in the Samuel Arnold edition of Handel's works. In the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe, anthems 1 to 11 are titled Anthems for Cannons. Carus-Verlag published an edition in 2009, calling them Cannons Anthems.