Coronation Anthem / British Anthem
Zadok the Priest has been sung prior to the anointing of the sovereign at the coronation of every British monarch since its composition and has become recognised as a British patriotic anthem.
Zadok the Priest: The Coronation Anthem (HWV 258), is one of George Frideric Handel's best-known works, and the most popular of Handel's four coronation anthems of George II in 1727. The other three coronation anthems include: The King Shall Rejoice, My Heart is Inditing, and Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened. All the anthems, including “Zadok the Priest,” premiered on October 11, 1727, when George II was crowned in London’s Westminster Abbey.
Video: Zadok the Priest sung at the coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.
The Text
As part of the traditional content of British coronations, the texts for all of Handel's four anthems were picked by the composer himself - a personal selection from the most accessible account of an earlier coronation, that of James II in 1685. The text is a translation of the traditional antiphon, Unxerunt Salomonem, itself derived from the biblical account of the anointing of King Solomon by the priest Zadok (1 Kings 1:38-40). These words have been used in every English, and later British, coronation since that of King Edgar at Bath Abbey in 973. An earlier setting is thought to have been written by Thomas Tomkins for the coronation of King Charles I in 1626, the text of which has survived but not the music.
Each of Handel’s coronation anthems is a setting of a biblical text appropriate to the stages of the ceremony. The text of “Zadok the Priest,” is drawn from the first chapter of 1 Kings in the Chrsitian Old Testament Holy Bible, or in the Hebrew Bible, that served for the anointing of the new king. The music masterfully captures the ceremony’s progression of moods: from an opening instrumental that builds a strong sense of anticipation, through the opening commanding choral declaration “Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet,” and culminates in shouts of rejoicing, the chorus ending with a moving largo "amen" cadence on "Alleluia".
Video: Zadok the Priest - G.F Handel | King Charles III Coronation 2023. YouTube, uploaded by Gentle Steps Media. Accessed May 18, 2023.
G.F. Handel, the Composer
Though George F. Handel was born in Germany, he spent most of his career in England, becoming a British subject in 1727. He had first arrived in England in 1710 with the expressed wish of learning London’s musical developments for the benefit of his employer, the elector of Hanover. When England’s Queen Anne died without immediate heirs, the throne passed to her German cousin, the elector himself, who was crowned George I and was pleased to again claim the attention of the long-absent Handel. George I’s son, George II, also preferred the work of his father’s longtime favourite, and he requested that Handel write music for his coronation.
Lyrics
The lyrics of the piece are biblical, being a distillation of 1 Kings 1:34-45:
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king.
And all the people rejoiced, and said:
God save the King! Long live the King! God save the King!
May the King live for ever. Amen. Hallelujah.
Resources:
Zadok the Priest. Wikipedia. Accessed June 2, 2010.
Zadok the Priest: work by Handel. Britannica (online) Accessed May 8, 2023
(c) June 2, 2010. Updated May 18, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
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