Coronation Anthems

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As a coronation anthem ( "Coronation Anthems") is now generally referred to four in 1727 by George Frideric Handel composed sacred choral works ( Anthems ) with the titles Zadok the Priest , Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened , The King Shall Rejoice and My Heart Is inditing.

Emergence

Handel composed the four anthems as a work commissioned by the British King George II for his coronation in Westminster Abbey on October 11, 1727. The scores of the works then appeared separately, until they were later combined in one volume.

construction

Zadok the Priest

This hymn in D major is probably the best known of the Coronation Anthems . It takes a little over five minutes. The text from the 1st Book of Kings (chapter 1, verses 39–40 EU ) tells of the anointing of Solomon by the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan and of the cheering of the people. The general public is particularly familiar with the anthem because the subject was dealt with in the UEFA Champions League anthem .

Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened

Text from Psalm 89 (verses 13-14 EU ). The hymn consists of three parts: an easy, happy beginning in G major , a melancholy, slow middle part in E minor and an alleluia ending again in G major.

The King Shall Rejoice

The text from Psalm 21 (verses 1-3, 5 EU ) tells of the conversion through the good blessings and of the coronation as king with a crown of pure gold. The hymn consists of four parts. In the solemn first section in D major the joy of the king over God's power is sung, in the gentle second part in A major his joy over God's salvation is sung . The third section begins with a radiant D major chord of the chorus, which in a B minor - joint opens. As in the second hymn, the fourth section is an alleluia ending in D major.

My Heart Is Inditing

Text from Psalm 45 (verses 1, 10, 12 EU ) and Isaiah (chapter 49, verse 23 EU ). Of the four parts of the hymn, the first in D major is sung alternately by a solo choir and the large choir. The second part in A major is about the king's daughters among the “beloved”, that is, the concubines, of the king and thus praises the political fate of the king, who through numerous “marriages” forges connections to other royal houses. (The English translation of the Hebrew text speaks here of honorable women .) In the gentle third section in E major , the queen in a golden robe is sung about. In contrast to the concubines, she, the “bride” or “wife”, is the one who is allowed to stand next to the king on official occasions. The solemn final part in D major (according to Isa. 49:23) contains God's promise that kings and queens will be foster fathers and mothers (wet nurses) of the people (Israel). This can be read as the duty of the crowned couple to act for the good of the people.

sequence

The order of the different parts is disputed. During the coronation ceremonies, Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened was heard first , then Zadok the Priest for the anointing , then The King Shall Rejoice for the coronation and finally My Heart Is Inditing for the coronation of the Queen ( Caroline von Ansbach ). The opening movement of this last piece shows Handel's skill in developing a complex and sublime movement from simple musical material. Nowadays , when played as part of Coronation Anthems , Zadok the Priest is at the beginning. Sometimes the second and third anthems are also swapped.

aftermath

Zadok the Priest has been used at every coronation of an English monarch since 1727, most recently for Queen Elizabeth in 1953 . This anthem also served the composer Tony Britten in 1992 as the basis for the arrangement of the famous anthem of the UEFA Champions League .

“Coronation Anthems” by other composers

“Coronation Anthem” does not refer to an independent musical genre or even exclusively to the pieces that Handel composed for the coronation of George II. An illustrious number of English composers before and after Handel have produced significant works on the recurring occasion of the coronation of an English / British monarch. The anthems that sound during the coronation ceremonies (whether choraliter or figuraliter) also include not only the four pieces mentioned above, but a much larger number, starting with the one for the procession at the beginning of the coronation ceremonies (usually Oh Lord, Grant the King a Long Life ). A total of up to twelve repeatedly used texts can be found in the coronation forms that have been preserved.

The best-known anthems composers for coronation services include Henry Purcell , John Blow and also Thomas Attwood , a not insignificant student of Mozart, who was fortunate enough to contribute works to the coronations of George IV and Wilhelm IV, namely, I Was Glad and ten in 1820 Years later Oh Grant the King a Long Life . Attwood died in 1838 over the composition of another anthem for Queen Victoria's coronation .

Purcell's Coronation Anthems (including I Was Glad and My Heart Is Inditing ) are now also available in various recordings, as is the reconstruction of the entire coronation ceremonies for George II, in which older coronation anthems can also be heard.

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