All through the centuries, monarchs have made their mark on our musical historical past. From royal commissions, together with these for coronations (reminiscent of Handel’s Zadok the Priest, written for George II in 1727), weddings and funerals (together with Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary), to works by monarchs themselves (Greensleeves, allegedly by Henry VIII), the royal households of the world have left us a wealthy musical legacy.
Right here we check out the music that has been impressed by, and written for, Queen Elizabeth II.
Walton – Coronation March, ‘Orb and Sceptre’
Walton’s ‘Orb and Sceptre’, impressed by Elgar’s equally grandiose Pomp and Circumstance Marches, was written for Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953. Its joyous exuberance and swagger set the scene for the day of celebrations, carried out earlier than the official service at Westminster Abbey. It was carried out alongside the Crown Imperial march that Walton composed for the coronation of King George VI – Elizabeth’s father – in 1937. Its title refers back to the Orb and Sceptre which are offered to the monarch through the coronation ceremony.
Elgar – Nursery Suite
Elgar met Queen Elizabeth II and her sister Margaret as younger youngsters, and wrote this suite for them as considered one of his ultimate compositions, based mostly on sketches he himself had achieved as a toddler. Consisting of seven actions and a coda, the piece is focussed across the nursery theme, with a number of the suites named after toys, reminiscent of ‘the intense doll’ and ‘the wagon’. It was one of many first items of orchestral music to premiere in a recording studio moderately than a live performance corridor, and was later put to choreography and made right into a ballet that was carried out in 1932 at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. It was later re-choreographed for a brand new ballet in celebration of the Queen’s sixtieth birthday gala on the Royal Opera Home.
Bax – Morning Tune, ‘Maytime in Sussex’
Arnold Bax, then Grasp of the King’s Music, wrote his Morning Tune in 1947 to have a good time the then-Princess’s twenty first birthday. Subtitled ‘Maytime in Sussex’, this pleasant work for piano and orchestra skips alongside in true springtime vogue.
Howells – Behold, O god Our Defender
When trying again on the listing of composers who had been invited to compose works for the Queen’s coronation, it’s a veritable a roll name of nice Twentieth-century British composers. Herbert Howells wrote this quiet and reflective introit on Christmas Day 1952. On the day of the Coronation it signalled the beginning of the solemn ceremony that remodeled a Princess right into a Queen.
Britten – Gloriana Dances
Britten composed his opera Gloriana for the Royal Opera Home’s celebration of the Queen’s coronation in 1953. It tells the story of the lifetime of the Queen’s predecessor, Elizabeth I, who was given the nickname ‘Gloriana’ by the Sixteenth-century poet Edmund Spenser. Although the opera was a essential failure, and barely carried out right now, a sequence of Courtly Dances celebrating the Queen’s virtues are sometimes carried out as a live performance piece.
Vaughan Williams – O Style and See
Vaughan Williams was commissioned to put in writing this new motet for the coronation by the director of music of Westminster Abbey, William McKie (see beneath). It’s nonetheless recurrently sung right now. Nevertheless, this was not Vaughan Williams’s solely contribution to the ceremony. He additionally persuaded McKie to incorporate a hymn with which the congregation may take part, full with fanfare accompaniment – written by him. Although this may occasionally not seem to be a controversial thought right now, it was thought of such a breach of custom that it needed to be accredited by the Queen herself earlier than McKie would comply with it. Fortunately she agreed, and The Outdated Hundred (‘All those that on earth do dwell’) has since develop into one of many international locations best-loved hymns.
Bax – Fanfare for the Wedding ceremony of Princess Elizabeth
Bax held the place of Grasp of the King’s Music from 1942, and through this time Princess Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece in 1947. This piece was performed as she processed in via Westminster Abbey to start the service. Its concluding bars lead clearly into Mendelssohn’s Wedding ceremony March, which ended the ceremony.
Crimond
‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ was sung to the tune of Crimond at Princess Elizabeth’s marriage ceremony to Prince Philip. She had been taught a descant by a lady-in-waiting Girl Margaret Egerton however the music for it couldn’t be discovered, so she and Egerton sang it to William McKie to transcribe.
McKie – We look forward to thy loving Kindness
McKie additionally contributed considered one of his personal compositions to the proceedings. ‘We look forward to thy loving Kindness’ is a fantastically easy anthem, a welcome reflective aid maybe from the pomp that surrounds such royal events.
Hymn – Reward, my soul, the King of Heaven
Based mostly on Psalm 103, the hymn ‘Reward, my soul, the King of Heaven‘ has lengthy been a favorite of the Royal Household, specifically Queen Elizabeth II and her father King George VI. It additionally featured on the marriage ceremony of Elizabeth and Prince Philip in 1947.
Regimental March Milanollo
One other agency favorite of the Queen, this march was written by Nineteenth-century German composer Johann Valentin Hamm for the Italian violinist virtuoso sisters and youngster prodigies Teresa and Maria Milanollo. It was later adopted as a regimental march for the Coldstream Guards, and consequently additionally by different regiments together with the Life Guards.
Britten’s God Save the Queen arr.
The origin of the tune of ‘God Save the Queen’ is unknown, however its first recognized listening to was in 1745. It’s a tune that has been utilized by about 140 composers of their works, with Beethoven even composing a set of seven piano variations across the theme. Britten organized it in 1961 for the Leeds Competition, and his model is performed yearly on the Final Night time of the Proms.
