Coronation Music

May 19, 2010

"Can you imagine a coronation ceremony without trumpets?"

Christopher has contributed a short article on Coronation Music for a new publication issued by Historic Royal Palaces, an independent charity which looks after five of the royal palaces. Their latest guidebook dealing with the Tower of London (and therefore the Crown Jewels) includes his brief survey of how Coronation music developed from the plainchant of Richard III's ceremony through Handel’s famous Anthems to Vaughan Williams' arrangement of the well known hymn Old Hundreth (for congregation, organ and orchestra) for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953.

The article is below and if you would like to buy the book click here. It is available in seven languages; English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese and Russian.