Crown compositions: Written for royalty

­As our beloved Queen celebrates a remarkable 70 years upon the throne, we look at some of the classical music written for royalty across the centuries and around the world.

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre – 1665-1729

Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre was one of several composers who enjoyed the royal patronage of France’s Sun King himself. Louis XIV created an incredible artistic centre at Versailles, filled with many of the greatest composers, musicians, singers and poets of the day. A former child prodigy who grew up in the court at Versailles, Jacquet de la Guerre became a famous composer, harpsichordist and teacher. Almost her entire body of work was dedicated to Louis XIV, including her set of 6 violin sonatas. They were published in 1707 but may have been written as early as 1695.

You can listen to Lina Tur Bonet’s performance of de la Guerre’s Violin Sonata No. 1 in D Minor here.

George Frederic Handel – 1685-1759

Beyond France, many Baroque and Classical era composers found employment in royal courts across Europe. Of the music written for royalty, the pieces which are perhaps the best known and loved by British audiences are the ones written by German-born composer George Frederic Handel, for King George II. His four coronation anthems include Zadok the Priest, included at every coronation since. He also wrote his perennial classic Music for the Royal Fireworks, written for the King in 1749, to celebrate the Treaty of the Aix-la-Chappelle.

You can listen to the Academy of St Martin in the Fields’ performance of  Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks here.

José Nunes Garcia 1767-1830

Born to parents of mixed African and European ancestry, Brazilian composer and priest José Nunes Garcia was one of the earliest classical composers in the Americas, at the time when Brazil was a Portuguese colony. José Nunes Garcia rose the ranks and in 1808 Prince Dom John VI appointed Garcia master of music of the Royal Chapel, with this title Garcia also became the first official court musician of the Kingdom of Portugal.

As master of music to the Royal Chapel, José Nunes Garcia wrote over 70 works for various royal occasions, his Missa de São Pedro de Alcântara was offered to the Prince in 1809.

You can listen to the Coro de Câmera Pro-Arte’s performance of Garcia’s Missa de São Pedro de Alcântara here.

Yoko Kanno – born 1963

One of the most esteemed living Japanese composers. Whilst she is revered by jazz fans across the world for her iconic score to the anime series Cowboy Bebop, Yoko Kanno has written in various genres throughout her distinguished career, writing numerous film and video game soundtracks, classical music, electronic music and pop songs. In 2019 her classical suite Ray of Water was written for the ascension of Emperor Naruhito of Japan. Kanno conducted the premiere at the ascension ceremony, with the Emperor and Empress in attendance.

You can listen to Nobuyuki Tsujii's performance of Kanno’s Ray of Water here.

Frederik Magle – Born 1977

Contemporary Danish composer and organist Frederik Magle has enjoyed a close professional relationship with the Danish Royal Family for over two decades, writing a stream of brilliant works for various royal occasions. These include his organ piece Lys på din vej!, dedicated to the newly born Prince Nikolai for his christening in 1999, Magle also performed at the event and later orchestrated the piece. The Danish Royal Family then commissioned his symphonic suite Cantabile in 2004, set to poems by Prince Henrik, for the Prince’s 75^th birthday. And in 2020 his Fanfare for the Danish Royal Orchestra was written for Queen Margarethe’s 80^th birthday.

You can listen to the Radio Underholdnings Orkestret’s performance of Magle’s Lys på din vej! here.

Hamdan Al Shuaily – living (birth date unknown)

Sultan Qaboos of Oman was a great lover of classical music, so much so that in 1985 he founded the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra (ROSO). Initially composed of gifted children, the orchestra has since grown into a renowned professional ensemble. Sultan Qaboos commissioned many composers from around the world to write pieces for the orchestra as well as nurturing the burgeoning homegrown talent of Oman. In 2007 the ROSO made their European premiere in Berlin, where Omani composer and conductor Hamdan Al Shuaily premiered his symphonic piece A Blessed Renaissance, combining traditional Omani folk music with Western compositional techniques. The piece, commissioned by the Sultan, is a spectacular musical journey through the Sultan’s reign, charting the country’s development from 1970 to the present day.

You can listen to the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra  perform Al Shuaily’s A Blessed Renaissance here.

William Walton -1902-1983

Finally, we come to music written for our own beloved monarch. During her 70 glorious years on the throne reams of incredible music has been written for her, by many of our most renowned composers, from Benjamin Britten to Judith Weir, present master of the Queen’s Music. British composer William Walton wrote the march Orb and Sceptre especially for Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, receiving the rare privilege of being permitted to dedicate the piece directly to her Majesty. Walton had also previously written the classic Crown Imperial for Queen Elizabeth’s father’s George VI’s coronation in 1937.

You can listen to the Philharmonia Orchestra perform Walton’s Orb and Sceptre performed by here.

Broadcaster, writer and musicologist Elizabeth de Brito is the founder and executive producer of The Daffodil Perspective, a classical music podcast and platform designed to help listeners discover marginalised composers.