In honor of King Charles III's proclamation as Monarch of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth, I dedicate below to his countrymen and women and to the citizens of the Territories a piece of special historical significance - not only to the British Crown but to King Charles himself - the setting of the choral introit "I was Glad" set by Sir Hubert Hastings Parry.
The new sovereign has long been vocal of his deep admiration for the choral piece and for its composer - whom he often refers to as his favorite, and as somewhat of an 'unsung hero' of sorts in the realm of British classical music. His Majesty first heard Parry's anthem performed at the tender age of four whilst the then-Prince bore witness to the coronation of his late mother, the former Queen and Head of State, Elizabeth II in 1953.
Parry's musical setting of Psalm 122 (verses 1–3, 6 and 7)[1] has long been embedded in history of the House of Windsor (fr. Saxe-Coburg and Gotha): Parry originally wrote his version of the anthem for the coronation of Charles' great-great-grandfather, Edward VII in 1902, and it has been used in every coronation since, even making an appearance at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine 'Kate' Middleton at Westminster Abbey in 2011.
Speaking of the occasion in the documentary The Prince and the Composer: A Film about Hubert Parry by HRH The Prince of Wales (presented by Charles himself) the royal remarked:
"If you're coming into the abbey and you have to walk up the aisle, and there are an awful lot of people peering at you, some pieces of music literally do waft you up the aisle and it's so marvellous that you're sort of carried along on this wave of music. And that's what I think is so brilliant about this piece, giving you all those tingles up the spine and tears in the eyes...It has an extraordinary capacity to lift the spirits, this particular piece of music. It's timeless, really, isn't it?"
Because of its association with the coronations of British monarchs, the "vivat(s)" section of the score (Latin for "Long live..." (the King/Queen)) was/is forbidden to be sung by the Queen's/King's scholars of Westminster School if the anthem is not performed during a coronation. Instead, the choir is simply instructed to bypass this section (the redacted version of Parry's anthem was famously heard at the aforementioned nuptials of Prince William and Catherine Middleton).
In 1902, Parry wrote vivats for both King Edward and Queen Alexandria: "Vivat Regina Alexandra, vivat Regina...vivat Rex Eduardus.." ("Long live King Edward...Long live Queen Alexandra.")
For Elizabeth II's
coronation, there was only one vivat, in custom with British tradition, in
which the husband of a Queen may not be styled as King as he has not
inherited the throne (while the wife of a King, however, may be styled Queen
Consort). It is this truncated version that a young Charles heard during the coronation of his "darling mama" from his
seat in the gallery alongside the Queen Mum and his Auntie (Princess Margaret). Cries of "Vivat Regina! Vivat Regina Elizabetha!" (Long live the Queen! Long
Live Queen Elizabeth!) would have echoed throughout Westminster Abbey and into the future King's ears.
Above: Vivat for Queen Elizabeth II, performed during Her Majesty's coronation in 1953 (begins at 3:08)
This custom means that King Charles' Queen Consort, Camilla, could be included in a new vivat, in addition to the King's (which will likely be sung as "Vivat Rex Carolus").
As Camilla is already the female equivalent of
the Roman Camillus, she may be referred to as Regina Camilla,
however this - and her inclusion in the revised anthem - remains to be
seen, should His Majesty opt to carry on in the tradition of his royal predecessors by selecting the anthem of his favorite composer for his own coronation.
Below: Vivat for Queen Elizabeth II, with score, performed during Her Majesty's coronation in 1953 (Vivat begins at 3:40)
Footnotes:
[1]from the psalter found in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
-Rose.
Did this happen? Did Charles follow tradition? Too much beautiful music!
ReplyDeleteHello Anonymous, Yes, Vivats were sung for both Camilla and Charles III. Vivats
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