Singing at the Coronation: What to look out for

As we approach the coronation weekend, the entire Voices Foundation team sends our very best wishes to Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla.

This will be a historic event, in the truest sense of the word, marking the start of a new chapter in our country. We’re therefore excited and encouraged to see how much of a centre stage singing will take during the weekend’s proceedings.

As champions of singing education, we believe giving children something to aspire to is core to our mission. The order of service for the formal coronation, as well as the lineup for Sunday’s concert, shows that the royals believe this too.

A diverse array of songs and singers will entertain, while also inspiring future generations sing. Children watching the singers at this coronation will be the ones singing during the next – its own line of succession.

King Charles III’s coronation will be the 40th to take place in Westminster Abbey since 1066. Building on almost a millennium of history, we’ll be sure to see many historic traditions mixing with some new additions and changes.

Join us as we look through the upcoming celebrations and point out some expected musical highlights, including a member of our very own Voices family.

The Coronation Service

Music and song take many forms, with each individual piece able to create its own unique combination of emotions, atmosphere and meaning. A newly written song can tap into contemporary feelings, while older songs create a link to the past.

Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey, Andrew Nethsingha, is responsible for all music arrangements for the Coronation Service. He has explained the mix of the old and new music in the ceremony:

“All Coronation Services are a mixture of deep-routed tradition and contemporary innovation. As was the case in the four twentieth-century Coronations, the choice of music reflects the cultural breadth of the age in which we live.”

During the service in London’s grand Westminster Abbey, there will be six orchestral commissions, five choral commissions and one organ commission, all specially composed for the occasion. These have been carefully selected to showcase talent from around the UK and Commonwealth.

A pre-coronation concert will perform several songs before the King and Queen enter the Abbey. One of these includes Sir Karl Jenkins, accompanied by The Coronation Orchestra, singing ‘Tros y Garreg’ – a Welsh folk song, and perhaps a nod to the King’s previous role as Prince of Wales.

Keep an eye out for one of our Voices Foundation practitioners, Emily Owens, as part of The Monteverdi Choir, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner.

Then, the new King and Queen’s procession will walk into the Abbey to the sounds of Hubert Parry’s ‘I was Glad,’ which was originally written for Edward VII’s 1902 coronation.

During the service, we will hear will many songs, hymns and prayers. These will include a four-part choir singing ‘Byrd Anthem,’ which dates back to 1592; a Greek choir (in honour of Charles III’s late father, Prince Philip) singing Psalm 71 as the King is presented with the Royal Regalia; and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s newly written Coronation Anthem, titled ‘Make a Joyful Noise.’

The Coronation Concert

The day after the Westminster Abbey service, 20,000 people will come together on the East Lawn of Windsor Castle (with millions more watching at home) to enjoy a huge celebratory concert. Itself a mix of tradition and something new – following similar concerts to mark the Queen’s Golden, Diamond and Platinum jubilees, while also being the first time a concert of any type has been held on the castle grounds.

Described as an opportunity “for people to come together in celebration of the historic occasion,” it will once again show the power of singing to bring people together. While the Abbey service will be a more formal event, this concert promises to be a party as we all celebrate through songs.

Many of us will be able to sing along with pop stars like Take That and Katy Perry, as they sing their well-known hits. For others, opera singers Andrea Bocelli and Sir Bryn Terfel will be the high point of the night. Newer acts, like Freya Ridings will join more experienced acts, such as Lionel Richie and Steve Winwood, showing off the new and old of our culture.

We will also see a special performance by The Coronation Choir, which joins together many community and amateur singers from around the UK, including Refugee, NHS, LGBTQ+ and deaf signing choirs. Across many diverse groups, once again, singing becomes a connecting thread that can bring us all together.

Ultimately, the message of the Coronation Concert is that there is a huge amount of joy and togetherness to be found when we sing. We can think no better way to celebrate our new King than to join together through song.

The National Anthem

Throughout the weekend’s proceedings, the national anthem, ‘God Save the King,’ will be sung many times.

The anthem, which is heard as often in football stadiums as formal events, had its words changed with the passing of the late Queen Elizabeth II, and for many this will be the starkest reminder of the move into a new historical era.

Anthems, perhaps more than any song, represent a communal spirit. Sung together as one people, it shows our sense of belonging and togetherness. While this weekend we’ll all come together to watch the crowning of a king, the anthem is a constant reminder of the central role the monarchy plays in Britain.

It’s more than just a song, it’s equal parts a cheer and a prayer – ‘God Save the King!’