Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations: From James I to Elizabeth II

Description

Coronations are the grandest of all state occasions. This is the first comprehensive in-depth study of the music that was performed at British coronations from 1603 to the present, encompassing the sixteen coronations that have taken place in Westminster Abbey and the last two Scottish coronations. Range describes how music played a crucial role at the coronations and how the practical requirements of the ceremonial proceedings affected its structure and performance. The programme of music at each coronation is reconstructed, accompanied by a wealth of transcriptions of newly discovered primary source material, revealing findings that lead to fresh conclusions about performance practices. The coronation ceremonies are placed in their historical context, including the political background and the concept of invented traditions. The study is an invaluable resource not only for musicologists and historians, but also for performers, providing a fascinating insight into the greatest of all Royal events.

Matthias Range is Associate Lecturer in History at Oxford Brookes University. His areas of research are interdisciplinary and he has published numerous articles on seventeenth- and eighteenth-century music at Royal events, as well as on general cultural history. His research is supported and inspired by his practical experience and activity as a musician; as an organist trained in Germany and as a choral singer at The Queen's College, Oxford. His findings and research outcomes have led to numerous performances, including recordings with HM Chapel Royal.

'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