This afternoon, the school gathered to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, and the beginning of the new Carolean or second Caroline era (the term Carolean is derived from the word Carolus, which is the Latin for Charles). The boys enjoyed their picnic, and I hope they enjoyed the chance to listen to some patriotic music (including the singing of the National Anthem).
Much time has passed since the coronation of Elizabeth II, and much has changed; his mother's took place during post-war rationing, whilst the young Prince Charles was in! Whereas many of us will watch the proceedings in HD TV, in 1953 an average of 17 people crowded around each tiny TV screen and watched the broadcast in black and white. How the world changes.
And yet, many things that make an occasion like this so impressive remain the same, including the traditional elements of the service and the procession through London; we do this stuff so well in Britain! The Dean of Westminster Abbey, the Very Rev Dr David Hoyle, in interview yesterday, promised a ceremony that will be ‘jaw-dropping’
Music will, of course, play a significant part in the pomp and ceremony of the service tomorrow. It heightens the solemnity, the drama, and the emotion, too.
Our new monarch is deeply committed to music. His influence can be clearly seen in the musical line-up for the coronation: a ceremony that he is on record as wishing to be more modern, more streamlined, more open, and more outward looking than any before.
The boys and men of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal choirs are, as per tradition, singing. Alongside them, we will also hear the girls of Methodist College Belfast, in Northern Ireland. His former title - Duke of Cornwall - sees representation in the form of the girls of the Truro Cathedral choir. Once Prince of Wales, he has honoured the Welsh people - and their language - by commissioning a Kyrie, in Welsh, to be sung early in the service. Meanwhile, the coronation march has been commissioned from a Scot - Patrick Doyle, best known to the boys for his score for "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
Indeed, there are 12 new commissions in total: a sign that our new King sees music as very much a vital, and living, part of British culture.
There are also two traditional anthems which are always sung: The King will enter to the anthem I Was Glad, by Hubert Parry. This has been sung at the coronations of Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II. And Handel’s setting of Zadok the Priest is perhaps the piece of music most closely associated with the coronation of a new monarch; it has been sung at every coronation since 1727 when it was first performed at the Coronation of George II.
Our boys have been learning about these pieces in their music lessons this week, and it would be worth asking your son about them when they are heard in the service. You can also read more about the music for the service here: What is the order of service for King Charles’ coronation on 6 May? - Classic FM
I hope that you enjoy the service tomorrow, and the accompanying music, pomp and circumstance. It should be quite some day.
Alistair Duncan
Interim Head