Music from the Royal Wedding

Yes, I got up at 4:00 am to watch Prince William and Kate get married!  I had seen the ceremony program a couple of days before, and was especially excited to hear the music they had selected.  They stayed away from the most traditional wedding pieces, but kept the music classical or sacred, and appropriate for the church service.  The great majority of pieces chosen by the couple were written by British composers.

With a guest list nearing two thousand people, their prelude was longer than most to allow for all of the guests to enter and find their seats.  Pre-service organ solo music included:

• Fantasia in G; Johann Sebastian Bach
• Veni Creator Spiritus; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
• Prelude on St. Columba, Op. 28; Sir Charles Villiers Stanford
• Sonata for Organ, Op. 28 (Allegro maestoso & Allegretto); Edward Elgar

The solo organ portion of the prelude was followed by several orchestral pieces:

• Serenade for Strings in E Minor, Op. 20; Edward Elgar
• Courtly Dance V: Galliard from Gloriana (Symphonic Suite), Op. 53a, No. 7; Benjamin Britten
• Fantasia on Greensleeves; Ralph Vaughan Williams (which has a beautiful harp & flute duet!)
• Farewell to Stromness; Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
• On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring; Frederick Delius
• Touch Her Soft Lips and Part (Henry V Suite); William Walton
• Romance for String Orchestra, Op. 11; Gerald Finzi

The final three pieces were played at the wedding service of Prince Charles and Camilla in 2005.  This was followed by one final organ selection, "Canzona" from Organ Sonata in C Minor by Percy Whitlock. 

A trumpet fanfare announced the arrival of the Queen, who entered to "March" from The Birds by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.  The processional for the clergy was "Prelude on Rhosymedre" by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the bride entered to "I was Glad", also composed by Parry.  This piece was played during the wedding of Prince Charles & Diana in 1981.

Three hymns were sung during the service, beginning with "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer".  The other two hymns were "Love Divine All Loves Excelling" and "Jerusalem", which is a very popular hymn in England due to the words of one of the verses (written by William Blake):

And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green

And was the holy lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen

And did the countenance divine

Shine forth upon our clouded hills

And was Jerusalem builded here

Among those dark Satanic mills

Bring me my bow of burning gold

Bring me my arrows of desire

Bring me my spears o'clouds unfold

Bring me my chariot of fire

I will not cease from mental fight

Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand

'Til we have built Jerusalem

In England's green and pleasant land

Most people don't get to have pieces specially commissioned for their ceremony, but this wasn't a "regular" wedding!  The choral anthem, "This is the day which the Lord has made", was composed for the occasion by British composer John Rutter.  It was followed by another choral piece, a motet "Ubi Caritas" by the Welsh composer Paul Mealor.  The national anthem, "God Save the Queen" was sung by the congregation after the signing of the register.

A second trumpet fanfare ("Valiant and Brave", another piece composed just for this service) signalled the end of the ceremony and the beginning of the recessional.  The bride and groom exited Westminster Abbey to "Crown Imperial" by William Walton.  "Toccata" from Symphonie V by Charles-Marie Widor and "Pomp and Circumstance" by Edward Elgar (another one from the wedding of Charles & Diana) played as the guests exited the ceremony.

During the Queen's reception at Buckingham Palace, guests enjoyed a luncheon accompanied by harp music.  A few years ago, Prince Charles reinstated the position of Royal Harpist to the Price of Wales.  The harpist currently holding the position, Claire Jones, was thrilled to perform for the occasion!  The couple chose a variety of classical pieces and Welsh folk songs to highlight their ties with the country.

You can also have a bit of the royal treatment with a harpist at your wedding or reception.  Contact us for more information about how the harp can make your event memorable and unique.  Visit our website (http://www.theclassicharpist.com/) for more information, or call 1-877-HARP-578.