Let the power of the music carry you

Music has, for centuries, been key to the tone of a coronation. Charles III’s will be no exception, says Andrew Green, and will reflect the changes in British culture over the past seven decades

- Andrew Green

ONE of Elizabeth II’s maids of honour, Lady Willoughby de Eresby, in later years reflected on how, during the long coronation ceremony in 1953, ‘the power of music carried you through’. Matthias Range, author of the definitive study of this dimension to British coronations, agrees: ‘In the best examples, like 1953, the quality and variety of the music has underlined the significance of what’s going on at any one moment in the service, emphasising the structure of the occasion.’

Music will surely ‘carry us through’ on May 6. Our new King, who takes his music seriously, has personally shaped this dimension to the coronation, as have musical monarchs before him: at a rehearsal for the preposterously lavish 1821 coronation, the sharp-eared George IV insisted the balance of choral and orchestral forces be radically and rapidly revised.

In 2023, we can look forward to groundbreaking soundscapes that reflect changes in the character of British society and culture over 70 years. Diversity and inclusivity are watchwords, observable in the introduction of girl choristers and a gospel choir, plus a Welsh royal harpist, Alis Huws. Alongside classic repertoire by Byrd and Handel will be new items from, among others, Judith Weir (Master of the King’s Music) and Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose anthem will hopefully be a show-stopper. ‘Being true to tradition means not only tapping into the great inheritance of repertoire from the past, but ensuring the tradition of embracing change, which has always typified coronation music, is kept alive,’ observes Martin Neary, former Westminster Abbey Organist and Master of the Choristers.