Seventy four years ago, on June 2, 1953, a 27-year-old Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was crowned Queen Elizabeth II in an almost 3-hour ceremony, which was preceded by a 5-mile long procession. 8,251 people attended the service at Westminster Abbey, and the coronation was the first to be televised.

Elizabeth’s coronation was also the second major world event to be broadcast internationally on television, following the inauguration of US President Dwight Eisenhower in Washington four and a half months before. Twenty-seven million people across Britain watched the event live on the BBC Television Service, many having purchased or rented television sets specifically for that purpose; some of them had gotten their television sets by the end of the previous December to also follow the inauguration of President Eisenhower. (Wikipedia)

And 4,780 miles away, in Port Angeles, Washington, a young Carl Crosier stayed up late to watch all the ceremonies and festivities on television. Who would know that the music would make such an impression on him, especially the organ and choral music, and that it would become his life’s work? All these many years later, I still have the newspaper and magazine clippings he cut out and saved commemorating this worldwide event.

Thanks to the Internet, I was able to find a list of all the music that was performed at Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation. Two pieces have been a part of English coronation tradition: Handel’s Zadok the Priest (a piece I learned in college) and Hubert Parry’s I was glad, which our choir performed on numerous occasions.

When it came to choosing the music, tradition required that Handel‘s Zadok the Priest and Parry’s I was glad were included amongst the anthems. Other choral works included were the anonymous 16th century anthem “Rejoice in the Lord alway” and Samuel Sebastian Wesley‘s Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace. Another tradition was that new works be commissioned from the leading composers of the day: Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a new motet O Taste and See, William Walton composed a setting for the Te Deum, and the Canadian composer Healey Willan wrote an anthem O Lord our Governor. Four new orchestral pieces were planned; Arthur Bliss composed Processional; Walton, Orb and Sceptre; and Arnold Bax, Coronation March. Benjamin Britten had agreed to compose a piece, but he caught influenza and then had to deal with flooding at Aldeburgh, so nothing was forthcoming. Edward Elgar‘s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D was played immediately before Bax’s march at the end of the ceremony. An innovation, at the suggestion of Vaughan Williams, was the inclusion of a hymn in which the congregation could participate. This proved controversial and was not included in the programme until Elizabeth had been consulted and found to be in favour; Vaughan Williams wrote an elaborate arrangement of the traditional metrical psalm, the Old Hundredth, which included military trumpet fanfares and was sung before the communion. Gordon Jacob wrote a choral arrangement of God Save the Queen, also with trumpet fanfares. (Wikipedia)

So many of these pieces Carl conducted in his long tenure at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu! (I bolded the pieces above which were a regular part of the repertoire.) The complete list of music may be found here.

Of course, with the international broadcasts of the coronation, it showcases organ and choral music, and I would dare say that this kind of music is new for the vast majority of people around the world. I must confess that I did not stay up to watch the coronation of King Charles III, (which started at 12 midnight in Hawaii!—luckily there are lots of videos online) but you can view the PDF of the coronation program here, and here is a listing of the music:

Before the service

The Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists will perform:

• Bach: ‘Magnificat anima mea’ from Magnificat in D
• Bach: ‘Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen’ from Christmas Oratorio
• Bach: ‘Singet dem Herrn ein neues’ Lied from New Year Cantata
• Bruckner: ‘Ecce sacerdos magnus’

Westminster Abbey’s assistant organist, Matthew Jorysz, will play:

• Bach: Alla breve in D

This will be followed by performances of:

• Judith Weir: ‘Brighter Visions Shine Afar’
• Holst: ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets arr. Iain Farrington
• Sir Karl Jenkins: ‘Tros y Garreg’ (‘Crossing the Stone’)
• Sarah Class: ‘Sacred Fire’ performed by Pretty Yende
• Walton: Crown Imperial arr. John Rutter
• Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves
• Nigel Hess, Roderick Williams, Shirley J Thompson: ‘Be Thou my Vision – Triptych for Orchestra’
• Iain Farrington: ‘Voices of the World’
• Patrick Doyle: ‘King Charles III Coronation March’
• Purcell: Trumpet Tune arr. John Rutter (soloists: Jason Edward and Matthew Williams)
• Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon
• Handel: ‘Oh, had I Jubal’s lyre’ from Joshua (soloist: Pretty Yende)
• Handel: ‘Care selve’ from Atalanta (soloist: Pretty Yende)
• Elgar: Nimrod arr. Farrington
• Harris: Flourish for an Occasion
• Vaughan Williams: Prelude on ‘Rhosymedre’

During the service

• Parry: ‘I Was Glad’ arr. John Rutter
• Paul Mealor: ‘Coronation Kyrie’
• Sir Bryn Terfel Prevent Us, O Lord’
• Sir Bryn Terfel ‘Gloria in Excelsis Deo’ from Mass for Four Voices
• Plainsong attr. Maurus: ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’
• Handel: Zadok the Priest
• ‘Give the King your judgements, O God’ (Psalms 72)
• Strauss: Wiener Philharmoniker Fanfare arr. Paul Mealor
• Weelkes: ‘O Lord, grant the king a long life’ (Psalm 61)
• Walford-Davies: ‘Confortare’ arr. John Rutter
• Andrew Lloyd Webber: ‘Make a Joyful Noise’ (Coronation Anthem)
• Andrew Lloyd Webber: ‘Make a Joyful Noise’ (Coronation Anthem)
• Roxanna Panufnik: ‘Sanctus’
• Tarik O’Regan: ‘Agnus Dei’
• Lyte: ‘Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven’
• Boyce: ‘The King shall rejoice’ (Psalm 21)
• Walton: ‘Te Deum Laudamus’ arr. John Rutter
• Anon: God Save the King arr. Jacob

After the service:

• Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No.4 arr. Farrington
• Parry: March from The Birds arr. Rutter
• Parry: Chorale Fantasia on ‘The Old Hundredth’
• Byrd: Earl of Oxford’s March arr. Matthew Knight

Notice that in both Queen Elizabeth II’s and King Charles III’s coronation, the music of William Byrd was included! You’ll have to open up the PDF of King Charles’ coronation to read that Byrd’s “Prevent us, O Lord” and the “Mass for Four Voices” were also sung at the ceremony. (I have Byrd on the brain right now because of the upcoming Early Music Hawaii concert on May 20th, “William Byrd: A 400th Anniversary Celebration.”