Music from the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II for Choir
Music from the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II for Choir
A collection of piece played at the Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in special arrangements for Choir (Easy to Intermediate Level)
1.
Rowlands - Blaenwern (Love Divine, All Loves Excelling)
Blaenwern is a rousing Welsh hymn tune by composer, organist, conductor and teacher William "Penfro" Rowlands (1860-1937). It is named after Blaenwern Farm near Tufton, Pembrokeshire. It is commonly sung, as, for example, during the funeral service of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, to the Charles Wesley's words 'Love Divine, All Loves Excelling,' though it is also used in the Welsh language hymns 'Deued Dyddiau O Bob Cymysg' and (less commonly) 'Calon Lân.'
LYRICS: Love divine, all loves excelling, joy of heav’n, to earth come down, fix in us thy humble dwelling, all thy faithful mercies crown. Jesus, thou art all compassion, pure, unbounded love thou art. Visit us with thy salvation; enter ev'ry trembling heart.
2.
Purcell - Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (Westminster Abbey)
The lyrics of 'Christ is Made the Sure Foundation' derive from a translation of the early-Christian monastic hymn 'Urbs beata Jerusalem.' These words were later set to an adapted final of Henry Purcell's anthem 'O God, thou art my God.' It was the final hymn sung at the Committal Service of Queen Elizabeth II at St. George's Chapel, Windsor in 2022.
LYRICS: Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ, our head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord and precious, binding all the Church in one; holy Zion's help forever, and our confidence alone.
The hymn 'The Lord's My Shepherd' is normal attributed to the English Puritan Francis Rous and based on the text of Psalm 23 in the Bible. It is sung to the tune Crimond by Jessie Seymour Irvine, named after Crimond Church in the Aberdeenshire town of Crimond. In 2016 it was revealed to be one of Queen Elizabeth II's favourite pieces of music and was used in her funeral service at Westminster Abbey six years later.
Lyrics: The Lord's my Shepherd, I'll not want; he makes me down to lie in pastures green; he leadeth me the quiet waters by.
4.
anon - Russian Contakion of the Departed (as used in the funer...
A Kontakion is a hymn that derives from the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Christian traditions. The use of the 'Russian Kontakion of the Departed' in the Anglican tradition may have originated in its performance at a memorial service for Tsar Alexander III in 1894. Queen Victoria was present at this service, commenting positively on this music afterwards. This likely led her daughters asking for it to be included in the monarch's state funeral, a request that was blocked, the music being considered inappropriate in that context. This did not, however, prevent its use in the funeral of Queen Alexandra at Westminster Abbey in 1925. The 'Russian Kontakion of the Departed' was also used in the committal service of Queen Elizabeth II at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, having also been used in the funeral of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh a year before.
LYRICS: Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy Saints: where sorrow and pain are no more; neither sighing, but life everlasting.
5.
Parry - My Soul, There is a Country (as used in the funeral of ...
Charles Hubert Hastings Parry (1848–1918) is a composer best known or his patriotic works 'I was glad' and 'Jerusalem,' for his choral-orchestral 'Blest Pair of Sirens' and the hymn tune 'Repton.' 'My Soul, There is a Country' is the first motet from a set of six entitled 'Songs of Farewell.' Its valedictory nature makes it appropriate for funeral services, as was the case when it was used for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022 at Westminster Abbey.
LYRICS: My soul, there is a country Far beyond the stars, Where stands a winged sentry All skilful in the wars:
6.
Scholefield - The Day Thou Gavest (St. Clement)
This popular tune set John Ellerton's hymn The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, is Ended. The tune is generally credited to the Rev. Clement Cotteril Scholefield (1839–1904) although there is some speculation it was actually written by Sir Arthur Sullivan of Gilbert and Sullivan fame. The hymn has been used on several national occasions, including Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897, at the Hong Kong handover ceremony in 1997 and at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
LYRICS: The day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, The darkness falls at Thy behest; To Thee our morning hymns ascended, Thy praise shall sanctify our rest.
