Description
Book SynopsisCoronations are the grandest of all state occasions. This study takes an in-depth look at the music that was performed at British coronations from 1603 to the present, reconstructing the programmes and performance of the music and considering it in its ceremonial and historical context.
Trade Review'An exhaustive, invaluable first point of reference.' BBC Music Magazine
'This impressive study of music and ritual adds a new aspect to the literature of royal ceremonial and will become required reading for historians of music and ritual.' Archives
Table of Contents1. Introduction: the British Coronation and its music; 2. After Reformation and Restoration: 1603–1661 (James I, 1603; Charles I, 1626; Charles II, 1661); 3. Truncation and elaboration: 1685 (James II and Queen Mary); 4. Politics and spectacle: 1689–1714 (William III and Mary II, 1689; Queen Anne, 1702; George I, 1714); 5. The 'Concert Coronations' I: 1727 (George II and Queen Caroline); 6. The 'Concert Coronations' II: 1761 and 1821 (George III and Queen Charlotte, 1761; George IV, 1821); 7. The 'Reformed Model': 1831 and 1838 (William IV and Queen Adelaide, 1831; Queen Victoria, 1838); 8. The 'Marriage of Tradition and Innovation': the twentieth century (Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, 1902; George V and Queen Mary, 1911; George VI and Queen Elizabeth, 1937; Elizabeth II, 1953); Appendices: A. Full texts of anthems discussed; B. Transcriptions of documents and reports; C. Synoptic table of music at British coronations, 1603–1838; D. Synoptic table of music at twentieth century British coronations, 1902–1953; Bibliography and sources.
