Royal wedding: What the music says about William and Kate

After months of anticipation of the royal wedding, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge -- as Prince William and Kate Middleton are now called -- tied the knot Friday morning at Westminster Abbey. The 75-minute service was exactly the mix of traditional and modern that bodes well for the future of the monarchy.

While the tall trees lining the aisle of the thousand-year-old Abbey were absolutely stunning, the music choices were rather uneven.

William and Kate's selection of Hubert Parry's anthem "I Was Glad" for the processional was inspired. Originally a coronation anthem, it represents all that is right and good about British pageantry. It is regal but never vulgar, attention-holding without ever hogging the spotlight from the main event -- in this case, a young bride on her way to marry her Prince Charming.

Photo gallery: Royal wedding coverage

The first hymn, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" was a bit of an odd choice because it is most often sung at Welsh rugby matches these days, but perhaps that was part of the point. The lesson read by Kate's brother James and the prayer William and Kate wrote for the service emphasized their intention to serve the people. The hundreds of thousands of well-wishers singing along lustily outside to "Guide Me" as well as "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling" and "Jerusalem" (also by Parry and most often sung at cricket matches) certainly felt that they were able to take part even outside the Abbey walls.

The two new commissions were "This Is the Day" by John Rutter and a setting of the "Ubi caritas" text by Welsh composer Paul Mealor. The Rutter was, well, Rutter. Pretty enough, easy for amateur choirs to sing, but immediately forgettable. There's nothing wrong with Rutter's compositions per se, it's just that once you've heard one, you've heard them all, so there's very little point to a new commission.

Considering the popularity of the lovely "Ubi caritas" setting by Maurice Duruflé, Paul Mealor had big shoes to fill. His music is gently dissonant and reminiscent of Eric Whitacre's work.

While William and Kate were signing the register, the choir sang "Blest Pair of Sirens," a title screaming to be abused by naughty choirboys. This anthem is by ... you guessed it ... Hubert Parry, one of Prince Charles' favorite composers.

On the way out, it was William Walton's "Crown Imperial" march, as reported Thursday, following the recession we predicted earlier in the week: Widor's "Toccata."

There was a lot of speculation before the wedding as to the identity of the soloist, with many fearing it would be Katherine Jenkins. In the end there was no soloist at all, or any psalm setting.

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-- Marcia Adair

twitter.com/missmussel

Comments

[Maggie]

Congratulations William & Kate.....

[Debi B]

I'm rather surprised that the author of this article seems unaware that "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" was the last hymn sung at the funeral of Princess Diana. No doubt that's why it was included in the marriage ceremony. After all, Prince William vowed not to leave his mother out of this day's happy event.

[dpolitico]

I believe "Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" was sung at Diana's funeral and thus the reason for its selection.

[jkm]

"Guide Me, O Thou Great Redeemer" is more than just a nod to the rugby scrum: it's set to the Welsh air CYM RHONDDA, and is officially the Prince of Wales's hymn. It was sung at Diana's funeral for that reason. Thanks for clarifying the Paul Mealor; we kept asking ourselves whether it was a Whitacre setting. "Jerusalem" is as close as the English come to a national hymn (bellowed fondly and drunkenly as part of the festival of jingoism on the Last Night of the Proms); both a great nod to the singers-along across the country and a reflection of the legend that the young Jesus walked England's "green and pleasant land" and planted the first Christian church there at Glastonbury. I have to say I loved the Rutter for all its Rutterness, and because it gave the choirboys multiple opportunities to look angelic in closeup.

[Lyn]

The writer is very hard on the "This Is the Day" composition. I loved it!

[Guy2345]

When I saw the royal wedding, I reached the conclusion that no justice exists in this world and the concept of justice is only made by the human mind. Someone only because he comes to the world from a royal family, he receives so much prosperity, wealth and fame in his life and the whole world's attention. And the other one struggles for a piece of bread in famine Africa while people turn their face to a royal fairytale instead of caring and doing something for him/her. While William and Kate enjoys this anglophilic attention, youth in Syria, Bahrain, Yemen are killed by dictators. Don't you really know that Bahrain is a royal country? While Windsor royal family in UK are not dictators anymore, they are remnant of those dictators who took people for slavery. This wealth has been produced by poor slaves. This celebration shows humanity is not mature enough to understand that all people are equal and someone deserves more respect for what he has achieved not where he comes from.

[Anygma]

In my opinion, "This is the day" was my best of the songs sang today. A modern hymn with a unique twist.. How can you not like that ?

[stephanie]

i think kate middleton is making the right choice princess dianna will be so proud of her son Prince willam

[stephanie]

good luck

[stephanie]

i am so happy for you

[kawesome]

@Guy2345 -
number 1, this article is not about the political correctness of a royal wedding it was about the stunning music surrounding the event. Listening to the processional again almost brought me to tears! Not because it's a royal wedding but because it's beautiful music! And that Ubi Caritas! WOW! Made me breathless! My choir will have it slated for in an upcoming season, I'm sure!
number 2, if this if this is the first time you've been realized the world is not just...well, it looks like you'll have a lot more lessons to learn.
number 3, there's a reason there's such a fuss about this event, it's not to gush over the royal family as if they are infallible and superior to those that are of their "kingdom." It's because it's a HAPPY event! The bringing together of people to celebrate their country and their heritage under the umbrella of the union of two people. The whole world watched because it's a great reminder that among the famines and the wars and the hatred there is love and it shows that people of all races, genders, sexual orientation etc can join together to celebrate and hope remains.

[ABlogOfTheirOwn]

Thanks for telling it like it is about the Rutter. I groaned when I saw his name on the playlist, and nothing in the work made me feel guilty about having done so. I can't help wishing they'd commissioned John Tavener to write their wedding anthem instead---wouldn't THAT have been a neat callback to Diana's funeral!

[Kevin McFoy Dunn]

Uhhh ... there actually was a psalm setting, Marcia, namely, "I was glad" -- y'know? that you totally listed right there in your copy, f'Chrissakes (research much?)? -- which uses vv. 1-3, 6 and 7 of 122 (Protestant numbering). BTW: The barely-minor Parry's tedious, overstuffed version is to that worked up by Greatest English Composer of All Time Henry Purcell -- who composed it for James II's slightly spavined 1685 coronation -- as a brown dwarf is to a quasar. If the preference on display here is any index, these people and their "people" really are just pedestrian boobs. Just sayin'.

[lilmonkey]

To all the whinging, self-righteous royal bashers: why is it that in your next breath you fail to demand that American corporations sell off all their assets and feed the poor? Or close their sweatshops and overseas factories? Royalty is easy to condemn, but why are you hesitant to condemn exploitative capitalism? I wonder how many of you will have no problem voting for a privileged billionaire who has inherited his fortune?

[KatieLady]

I find that comment about Rutter pretty much completely ignorant. His compositions are not all the same. He composes a lot of lighter music and Christmas anthems, but he also wrote a Requiem and an opera. So yeah. Not all music has to be heavy and serious to be good.

[Marcia Adair]

@Debi B, dpolitico & jkm - you're right about "Guide Me" being sung at Princess Diana's funeral. Somehow I forgot to add that in. There was a lot of music associated with her in the ceremony plus the engagement ring. I didn't know it was the Prince of Wales official hymn, though.

@Kevin McFoy Dunn - ah yes, I was a bit unclear about the psalm. "I Was Glad" is a psalm text but it is an anthem, genre-wise not the Anglican psalmody I expected.

@KatieLady - you're right, not all music has be serious to be good. I would suggest, however, that it has be good to be taken seriously.

[ABlogOfTheirOwn]

KatieLady, I think the point about Rutter is that no matter what he's writing, he relies on the same set of rhythmic and harmonic conventions, which weren't particularly interesting to begin with and certainly haven't become more so after decades of overuse. He's produced a lot of perfectly serviceable church-choir music, but that's the extent of it.

[KingKramden]

The critic has been consorting with the green-eyed monster too long. I found the Rutter piece to be a lovely setting for the text. It will be quite popular with many choirs, I believe. His music, repetitious in themes though it may be, is hugely popular. So what do you have when the public adores music and a critic barks, "Trivial, repetitious, unimaginative"? I suppose you read music history for a reality check. Many composers, while living, were dissed and panned. Bach, for one. It took a century or so for a clever lad named Felix to point out that this great man's music was, in fact, great music. I'm not equating Rutter with Bach, but merely making the point that it is a dangerous thing to trash another's art. This was, after all, music for the royal couple, not musik for the royal-pain-in-the-arse critics who enjoy trashing whatever anyone else likes ...

[grouch]

There was far too much music towards the end of the service and also insular- meaning just British. There was no reference to African or Pacific countries of the Commonwealth which would have livened up the music. Future King of just Britain? Of course in Oz most of us do not like 'tall poppies' too much. However good luck to a nice young couple.

[Mark & Susan]

I've been a part-time organist & choir director for many years and, for about the last 7 years, a worship leader/keyboardist in a contemporary worship band. Taken in context, the music used in the wedding today, for us, was all about servant-hood, humility, and, above all, worship.

I know they were pretty much confined to the traditions and worship style of the Church of England. However, imagine the 21st Century faith message they would have sent as a couple if Matt Redman had led "Blessed Be Your Name," or if Tim Hughes had led "Here I Am To Worship," or if Delirious? had sung "History Maker."