Coronation of the British monarch

The Coronation of the British monarch is a ceremony (specifically, initiation rite) in which the monarch of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms is formally crowned and invested with regalia. The coronation usually takes place several months after the death of the previous monarch, for the coronation is considered a joyous occasion that would be inappropriate when mourning still continues. (It also gives planners enough time to complete the elaborate arrangements required for great State ceremony.) For example, Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, despite having acceded to the throne on February 6, 1952, the day of her father's death.

Music

Music played at coronations is primarily classical and religiously inspired. The most oft-used piece is Zadok the Priest, a religious composition by George Frideric Handel based on texts from the Bible. The work was commissioned for George II's coronation in 1727, and has featured in every coronation since; the achievement unparalleled by any other piece. Hubert Parry's I Was Glad, and Charles Villiers Stanford's Gloria in Excelsis have also been used regularly in recent coronations, as has the national anthem, God Save the Queen (or King).

Related Topics:
Zadok the Priest - George Frideric Handel - Bible - 1727 - Hubert Parry - Charles Villiers Stanford - God Save the Queen

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Other composers whose music featured in Elizabeth II's coronation include Sir George Dyson, Gordon Jacob, Sir William Henry Harris, Herbert Howells, Sir William Walton, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Related Topics:
Sir George Dyson - Gordon Jacob - Sir William Henry Harris - Herbert Howells - Sir William Walton - Samuel Sebastian Wesley - Ralph Vaughan Williams

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