The Music of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

6R Performed in the Abbey Church of Westminster. June Second 1953. London: Novello and Co., 1953. Photographic Facsimile.

Notes

The Music of the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is a commemorative volume produced in connection with the 1953 coronation, documenting in detail the music chosen for one of the most significant state ceremonies of the twentieth century. The book outlines the structure of the service in Westminster Abbey and explains the historical and ceremonial importance of each musical element, from traditional plainsong and Tudor anthems to newly commissioned works by contemporary British composers. Particular attention is given to composers such as William Byrd, Henry Purcell, and George Frideric Handel, alongside modern figures like Ralph Vaughan Williams, William Walton, and Herbert Howells, whose compositions symbolized both continuity and renewal. Part programme guide, part historical record, the book preserves how music was used to express monarchy, nationhood, and sacred ritual at the beginning of Elizabeth II’s reign.

Description 

Red canvas binding with black embossed designs on the cover and spine. Original dust jacket with minor. Chipping to the top and bottom of the spine anf one section on the upper back edge.