Royal Music

[Peter1953]

Today, 30 April 2013, is a special day for my little country. We have a new king. Willem-Alexander, the oldest son of Beatrix, has succeeded his mother after her reign of 33 years.

This event gave me the idea of starting this thread. I am wondering how many (unsung) musical pieces are dedicated to certain royal persons, or are composed for royal happenings.

An example is Raff's wonderful, majestic Grand Quintuor in A minor, op. 107, dedicated to the Dutch King Willem the Third.

[Gauk]

It might also prompt the question why - one presumes that in most cases one doesn't dedicate the music one has just written on spec to the reigning monarch. It suggests that some connection exists between monarch and composer, which also suggests that the stock of the composer in question was rather higher at the time of the dedication than today (which would hold for Raff).

Off topic: interesting fact about Queen Beatrix. When a student, she produced the only set of illustrations for Lord of the Rings that received approval from JRR Tolkien (apart from his own).

[eschiss1]

Not sure that's true, about not dedicating the... etc.  The number of pieces in IMSLP's collection, mostly pre-Classical, Classical and earlier Romantic but also from later, dedicated to various levels of nobility, monarchs and otherwise, shouldn't, I thought, have surprised. I'd have answered but assumed that by "unsung" Gauk means "unsung and interesting and worth hearing" (and within our remit) - and there I can't always tell you, though I'll go look...

[alberto]

Giovanni Sgambati composed his "Epitalamio Sinfonico" for the wedding of Amedeo di Savoia, a member of the Italian royal family,
He dedicated his Requiem to the memory of King Umberto I of Italy.

[Jimfin]

The list for British composers would be enormous. Queen Victoria had works dedicated to her, ranging from Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony, through Sullivan's Ivanhoe to Elgar's Caractacus. And Jubilees and Coronations have provoked masses of music. One can even go back to Purcell writing for Charles II, William and Mary (an Orange there), or even "The Triumphs of Oriana". Coronation marches by Elgar, Walton, Bax, Te Deums for Coronations by Parry and Walton, even works like Britten's 'Gloriana'. Of course, some republicans, like Delius, kept well away from these things.

[Jimfin]

Oh, and congratulations on your new King, Peter! Long may he reign!

[JimL]

Long live King Willi!

[Gauk]

The list for British composers would be enormous. Queen Victoria had works dedicated to her, ranging from Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony, through Sullivan's Ivanhoe to Elgar's Caractacus. And Jubilees and Coronations have provoked masses of music. One can even go back to Purcell writing for Charles II, William and Mary (an Orange there), or even "The Triumphs of Oriana". Coronation marches by Elgar, Walton, Bax, Te Deums for Coronations by Parry and Walton, even works like Britten's 'Gloriana'.

True, but these are all very well-known. Actually, a thought occurs to me - the post of Master of the Queen's Music will require the writing of many such pieces. So there should be lots of ceremonial pieces by such people as William Cusins and Walter Parratt, to name but two holders of the post of whose music I have heard not a note. Cusins was responsible for a Royal Wedding Serenata (1863), and also a piano concerto.

[eschiss1]

Well, I see that some (at least one song?) of Parratt's music has been recorded on a CD titled topically Choral Songs in honour of Her Majesty Queen Victoria on Toccata Classics (containing music by quite a few composers, not all unsung.) Another, 1997 CD from Herald has something by him, Worldcat seems to say.

(Charles Harford Lloyd? *curious...*)

Parratt was also the subject of a 1941 book "Walter Parratt, master of the music" by Tovey and by Geoffey Parratt, I see.

[semloh]

Good work, Eric!