“The coronation service of King Charles will have 12 newly-commissioned pieces of music, including a composition by Andrew Lloyd Webber,” writes Sean Coughlan in Monday’s (2/20) BBC. “The King has personally chosen the music for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on 6 May. Lord [Andrew] Lloyd-Webber said he wanted his new coronation anthem to reflect a ‘joyful occasion.’ A gospel choir will sing and there will be Greek Orthodox music in memory of the King’s father, Prince Philip. The music will have a traditional tone with pieces from classical composers … There has been a coronation theme of combining the modern with the ancient—and new music has been commissioned. This includes a coronation march from Patrick Doyle, who has previously written a different kind of royal music … [for] the soundtrack for Sir Kenneth Branagh’s movie version of Shakespeare’s Henry V…. The new coronation music will include six pieces for orchestra, five choral works and a piece for the organ…. The other composers chosen by the King to write new music are Iain Farrington, Sarah Class, Nigel Hess, Paul Mealor, Tarik O’Regan, Roxanna Panufnik, Shirley J. Thompson, Judith Weir, Roderick Williams and Debbie Wiseman.”
