Funeral music

Abstract

This book seems to have three main aims. Firstly, it seeks to chart the development of the ceremonial in British royal and state funerals and the role of music within it, from the establishment of the Church of England to the present. In the course of this, Range presents an engaging narrative of the process that has brought us from Elizabeth I’s elaborate funeral procession in 1603 to the updated rite used in 2002 for the funeral of the Queen Mother. Overall trends are tracked: from public to private funerals, and then back again; from London to Windsor, and then back again; from choral music without orchestral accompaniment, to orchestrally accompanied anthems, and then back again. Secondly, it attempts an extensive re-examination of the source material, one aim of which is to attain new insights into the funeral music itself. Fairly extensive sections are devoted to some of the higher-profile and musically significant funerals that occurred during this 400-year period—from which, by no coincidence, the most information on the musical performances survives—such as those of Mary II, the First Duke of Marlborough and Queen Caroline. The works that gave these funerals their musical significance—Henry Purcell’s Thou knowest, Lord (z58c), William Croft’s Burial Service, Giovanni Bononcini’s anthem When Saul was king and Handel’s The ways of Zion shall mourn (hwv264)—are analysed afresh. Some interesting new sources are presented and discussed, such as William Croft’s letter to John Anstis, Garter King of Arms, on the performance of the music at the Duke of Marlborough’s funeral. Thirdly, the book attempts to discuss the individual funeral ceremonies within their historical context. A useful and informative book has resulted, which is largely successful in the first and last of these aims and partially successful in the second: the interdisciplinary approach of considering the music in relation to the ceremonial is certainly a useful one, which does bring a new perspective to discussion of the music.