"Zadok The Priest" at British Royal Weddings?

[Rudolph]

If the Dane's want to use British anthems for their wedding that's fine but Zadok the Priest is performed during the sovereign's anointing, the most sacred part of the religious service. The words come from the King James Bible and were altered to suit Mary and or Frederick. Not a good showing if you ask me.

The Prince of Denmark's March is thoroughly English, composed by an Englishman for the husband of Queen Anne.

Both pieces are forever linked to the BRF.

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

Very nice, thanks for sharing HereditaryPrincess.

I agree The Prince of Denmark's March would have been a better choice for Mary but it was composed by an Englishman, Jeremiah Clarke and the "Prince of Denmark" in this case was Prince George, husband to Queen Anne of Britain so it too has strong connections to the BRF.

You are welcome. I didn't realise that it was written for Prince George of Denmark and Queen Anne, but then again I don't know a lot about that particular time in royal history.

A random thought: if 'The Prince of Denmark's March' was a nod to the Danish ancestry of the Charles' father, 'Zadok' could be taken as recognition of Frederik's ancestor, Queen Victoria. Mary has ties to Scotland and Australia, so there is an English connection for her, too.

You've raised a good point - I'd forgotten about Frederik being an ancestor of Queen Victoria. Now I have a better understanding of why Zadok The Priest was chosen for their wedding - so not it's not a totally strange choice then.

 

[wartenberg7]

A random thought: if 'The Prince of Denmark's March' was a nod to the Danish ancestry of the Charles' father, 'Zadok' could be taken as recognition of Frederik's ancestor, Queen Victoria. Mary has ties to Scotland and Australia, so there is an English connection for her, too.

But Queen Victoria wasn´t a priest, wasn´t she?! If that was the reason they could have taken any other piece of british music fitting for a wedding.
Yes, Mary has a scottish connection. But still the lyrics are about the concecration and hallowing of a monarch...
I believe they simply chose it because they like it and the wedding might have been their only chance during their lifetime to play such a piece of music. I also loved hearing it at the ceremony just because I like the piece. But when I think of it I must confess it really has nothing to do with a wedding.

When it comes to this "Prince of Denmark" ("Trumpet the voluntary") march I say, well, it´s just a march. A march is much more neutral than an anointing hymn, isn´t it?

 

[MidwestMom]

When it comes to this "Prince of Denmark" ("Trumpet the voluntary") march I say, well, it´s just a march. A march is much more neutral than an anointing hymn, isn´t it?[/QUOTE]
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Agreed. The appropriateness (or lack thereof) of wedding music is something organists deal with regularly. If you want to talk inappropriate, Wagner's ''Bridal Chorus'' (popular in the U.S., don't know about other countries) is part of his opera ''Lohengrin'' and sung as the guests accompany the newly married couple to the bridal chamber. Charming, huh? When you mention that to prospective brides, they usually change their mind. The ''Wedding March'' from ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' by Mendelssohn is often used for the recessional. It's interesting to me that these two pieces are often paired; Wagner was an anti-Semite and Mendelssohn was born Jewish.

More recently, brides have requested Pachelbel's ''Canon in D'' as a processional. That's one of my favorite pieces of music, but as a processional, it doesn't work so well. I much prefer the British custom of using hymns. Princess Elizabeth (later QEII) used ''Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven.'' I believe Princess Anne used ''Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken'' but I'd have to look it up. If that is what was used, it's Haydn's ''Austrian Hymn'' which is also used for the German national anthem. We could go on all day!!!

I'm just happy when couples choose sacred music for a church wedding - that's as it should be. F&M had two wonderful hymns in their ceremony: ''Eternal Father, Strong to Save'' and ''Now Thank We All Our God.'' Both of them were good choices.

Sorry this post got so long, but this is a great thread. Thank you for letting me have my say.