Chapel Royal
The Chapels Royal (English [ˈtʃæpɘlz ˈɹɔɪɘl] "royal chapels") are two chapels in St James's Palace in London : the actual Chapel Royal and the Queen's Chapel . The Chapel Royal also includes the royal choir, which appears at church services in the Chapels Royal and at royal ceremonies.
Originally the term only referred to part of the court of the British monarchy . The Chapel Royal comprised clergymen, musicians and singers who were responsible for performing religious acts at the monarch's court. Over the centuries, the term Chapel Royal was also used for the buildings that served the respective rulers as chapels or prayer rooms. The Dean of the Chapel Royal is personally appointed by the Queen. Since 1995 it has been the Bishop of London Richard Chartres .
history
In the late 13th century, the establishment of the Chapel Royal emerged as a local institution, whereas before, like the rest of the rest of the court , it always traveled with the monarch and held services at his place of residence. In the 17th century, the chapel had its own building in the Palace of Whitehall , which burned down in 1698; since 1702 it has been in St James's Palace.
The Chapel Royal had an important choir . This reached its greatest height during the reign of Elizabeth I , when William Byrd and Thomas Tallis jointly held the office of royal organist . The Master of the Children possessed to 1684 on the right, especially talented Boys' Choir of the choirs of the country zwangszuverpflichten for service in the Royal Chapel. These boys' choir were also used as actors in theater productions at court until 1626 and as sopranos in performances of George Frideric Handel's oratorios and other works in the 18th century . Under Charles II , the choir was often reinforced by strings from the royal orchestra, and in addition to singers and organists , the Chapel Royal also employed composers , lutenists (such as John Johnson ) and viol players in its ranks.
The Chapel Royal still exists today, but has lost its importance and charisma compared to previous centuries. Andrew Gant is currently the organist and choirmaster of the Chapel Royal . Today the choir consists of six professional singers and ten choirboys.
organ
The organ was built by Hill Organ Builders in 1866 and expanded in 1900. The instrument has 27 stops on three manuals and a pedal. The playing and stop actions are pneumatic.
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- Coupling : III / I, III / II, III / III (sub-octave coupling), I / P, II / P, III / P
German Chapel
Around 1780 - at the time of George III. - the young Johann Heinrich Ramberg made an altarpiece for the German Chapel in St James's Palace.
Famous musician
Some of the most famous musicians who have worked at the Chapel Royal include John Sheppard , Thomas Tallis , William Byrd , Orlando Gibbons and Henry Purcell . Even George Frideric Handel was a composer for the Chapel Royal worked, he wore the title of Composer of Musick of His Majesty's Royal Chappel , but was not a regular member as a German.
literature
- David Baldwin: The Chapel Royal. Ancient & Modern. Duckworth, London 1990, ISBN 0-7156-2349-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on the organ
- ^ Alheidis von Rohr : Ramberg, Johann Heinrich. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-428-11202-4 , p. 128 f. ( Digitized version ).
Web links
- Chapel Royal - Official website of the British Royalty