Zadok the Priest - Handel Electrifies the Coronation!

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"Handel is the greatest composer who ever lived. I would uncover my head and kneel down at his tomb." - Ludwig van Beethoven in 1824

Handel’s Zadok the Priest was composed for the coronation of George II in Westminster Abbey in 1727 and has been performed in every British coronation since that date. The first performance was something of a disaster: having forgotten to sing another piece, the choir sang the anthem at the wrong point in the service, and another performance during the service was described as ending “in confusion”.

The reason for Zadok the Priest’s enduring popularity probably has something to do with its marvelous blend of musical elements: the unexpected hush of the opening, the stately tread of the music, its style derived from keyboard improvisation, with its softly expressive string arpeggios, taking the listener on a journey of inexorable but slightly unexpected harmonic shifts, building in intensity until the choir and trumpets finally burst out in regal splendor. The music that follows (rather like monarchy itself) is glittering and festive but less interesting than the build-up to its arrival.

You may also be interested to see Handel's music enhancing the ritual theatre of the coronation service in this footage of King Charles III's coronation in Westminster Abbey on 6th May, 2023:

Produced and directed by Ian Coulter & Matthew King

[xenosmoke]

I’m British and I can confirm His Majesty only attended the ceremony so he could hear Zadok The Priest.

[gerryszymanski]

When it first started to sound at the Coronation, I will admit that chills ran up my spine.

[trs]

I used to crank “Zadok the Priest” in the car when my son was a young boy. He couldn’t get enough of the explosive entry of the choir. Fun times with baroque.

[andyflack]

I’m not a royalist but I watched this particular part of the coronation to hear Zadoc the Priest in the intended context. It is supremely powerful and electrifying, as if at the very moment the choir comes in that God too has entered the room. Given the implied divinity of the ceremony I can only imagine that’s what Handel was shooting for.

[petermarksteiner]

In the score, the cue for the choir to sing "Zaa-dok the Priest ..." is simply marked "loud".

[-Eckhart]

I'm just so thankful that I got to hear this piece in its intended context. It's a truly magnificent piece of music and was today sung brilliantly by the very choir it was written for. Such privilege.

[Desmaad]

One of my favourite uses of "Zadok the Priest" is the scene in "The Madness of King George" when they manhandle the King to strap him into a wooden chair. The irony of using a coronation anthem to mark the restraining of a man with mental illness is delicious!

[AbdelOveAllhan]

And once again, Handel anoints the new monarch of England. So in reality, Handel reigns supreme.

[truckerfromreno]

I have never been so moved by a piece of music as I was by Zadok the Priest at the Coronation. It was breathtaking. The moment of the anointing is truly special.

[JSB]

Hello Music Professor. "That chord change" changed my life! Here's how.

I'm 55. Back in 1979 I was 11 and went, by choice, to St Alban's School in the UK. For various reasons, I didn't much like the school to start with, not least because my maths teacher said he thought it was a good idea to count on one's fingers.

We used to sing in St Alban's Cathedral twice a week, under Andrew Parnell. We learned and sung "Zadok the Priest" soon after I started.

When I heard THAT chord - 03:13 in your video - and the subsequent ones you talk about - my "music eyes" opened wide. I was genuinely excited. "Wow! Maybe this school will be cool after all!" I thought, happily.

That was during rehearsal on the piano. When I heard it on the organ in the cathedral, I was even more excited. I can remember both moments clearly, over 40 years later.

I didn't play any instrument then. However, I went on to learn the organ, age 14.

Understanding how that Zadok opening working was a top priority for me!! I made a 5 octave electronic keyboard and sat in my bedroom working out how it works.

From age 16, I played the organ in the cathedral twice a week. Happy days indeed! I never got to perform Zadok there, but I did elsewhere.

I still play the organ, and now three other instruments too.

I'm told I play the organ well - maybe see Bach BWV 542 on my channel.

**And a huge drive to learn to play came from hearing the Zadok intro that you talk about in this video.**

So thank you. I enjoyed your video very much. 😃

And I ended up enjoying my school very much too! 😄

BTW, I think your demos on a piano rather than harpsichord sound fine. I think you've mic'd it very well.

Thanks again. 🙂

[AndromedaCripps]

Been excited all week for the coronation precisely because of how much I love THIS PIECE!!

[tobias_v_p]

I adored it to hear Zadok The Priest for the only moment is was actually made for!

[thucydidescallas]

This was the best part of the coronation. It was so glorious.

[germansnowman]

That unexpected minor chord always gives me goosebumps.

[cwhig]

Handel's contributions to the British monarchy are incalculable. This is a very astute discussion of the elements that elevate the moment of anointment to a truly sublime phenomenon.

[wurlitzer]

Handel was a genius! The building up of the musical tension that explodes with the choir's declamation of 'Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet' never, ever fails to thrill. I always ensure that my blood pressure medication is within easy reach.... I very much enjoyed your analysis, Professor. Thank you!! Regards, Peter A :) :) :)

[benbunyip]

For me, the highlight of the coronation. Splendid!

[maxjohn]

I was a chorister at Norwich Cathedral when I was a kid, and this was *always* our absolute favourite piece to sing :) It's sooo much fun!

[GMN]

Zadok the priest and the anointing of the King were my “looking forward to moments” of the coronation. Neither let me down after 70 years of waiting for the special day!

[fionamacleod]

Thank you for this video! I am new to your channel and only found you because I was so moved by Zadok the priest when I heard it at King Charles coronation on Saturday. What I also found made this piece work so well at this stage of the coronation was the theatrical element that took place at this point in the ceremony. King Charles had all his Kingly robes taken off, the screens were taken out in preparation for his anointment, beautifully choreographed by the soldiers, and at the moment when the choir came in, Charles was down to his trousers and loose shirt, looking no more like a king, just a common man going before God. It was such an amazing moment that I started to cry. I would love to know who directed and choreographed the day with all that music and ceremony. It was a masterpiece from start to finish.