March: 'Crown Imperial’
William Walton (1902-83)
It is hard to follow an act that’s hard to follow! They had to wait more than 50 years for a new symphony to lie comfortably alongside those by Ludwig van Beethoven; few have composed fugues to compare with J.S. Bach’s; Johann Strauss II even now reigns unchallenged as the ‘King of the Waltz’. When a different king, George V, died in January 1936, no-one was surprised or offended that Sir Edward Elgar was not invited to compose a rousing march for the forthcoming coronation of the new king, Edward VIII. Why? Elgar himself had died two years earlier, so William Walton was the obvious alternative candidate. Accordingly, he was urged to ‘out-Elgar Elgar’ or at least to match the master, and this he did with aplomb. Such a polished example of pastiche remains a masterpiece in its own right, and no-one should blame Walton for doing so effectively exactly what was asked of him. Theft? No! A first class imitation? Definitely!
The march needs no guided tour, but a few reminders of its historical background are of interest. Edward VIII wasn’t crowned. On the date pencilled into the royal diary, May 12th 1937, his brother Albert was crowned as George VI instead. ‘Crown Imperial’ was first played then, and was played again at the coronation of the present queen, Elizabeth II, on June 2nd, 1953. On that occasion it was paired with another march by Walton, ‘Orb and Sceptre’. Both titles are taken from an inspiring speech proclaimed by Henry in William Shakespeare’s play, King Henry V, in which we find a further phrase, ‘...the Bed Majestical...’. Walton suggested he might use that as the title for a third march. It could have been quite a romp, but no third march was needed because ‘Crown Imperial’ was resuscitated for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and again for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, 28 years after Walton’s death.
William Walton (1902-83)
It is hard to follow an act that’s hard to follow! They had to wait more than 50 years for a new symphony to lie comfortably alongside those by Ludwig van Beethoven; few have composed fugues to compare with J.S. Bach’s; Johann Strauss II even now reigns unchallenged as the ‘King of the Waltz’. When a different king, George V, died in January 1936, no-one was surprised or offended that Sir Edward Elgar was not invited to compose a rousing march for the forthcoming coronation of the new king, Edward VIII. Why? Elgar himself had died two years earlier, so William Walton was the obvious alternative candidate. Accordingly, he was urged to ‘out-Elgar Elgar’ or at least to match the master, and this he did with aplomb. Such a polished example of pastiche remains a masterpiece in its own right, and no-one should blame Walton for doing so effectively exactly what was asked of him. Theft? No! A first class imitation? Definitely!
The march needs no guided tour, but a few reminders of its historical background are of interest. Edward VIII wasn’t crowned. On the date pencilled into the royal diary, May 12th 1937, his brother Albert was crowned as George VI instead. ‘Crown Imperial’ was first played then, and was played again at the coronation of the present queen, Elizabeth II, on June 2nd, 1953. On that occasion it was paired with another march by Walton, ‘Orb and Sceptre’. Both titles are taken from an inspiring speech proclaimed by Henry in William Shakespeare’s play, King Henry V, in which we find a further phrase, ‘...the Bed Majestical...’. Walton suggested he might use that as the title for a third march. It could have been quite a romp, but no third march was needed because ‘Crown Imperial’ was resuscitated for the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, and again for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011, 28 years after Walton’s death.