{"id":4232,"date":"2012-06-03T07:33:38","date_gmt":"2012-06-03T12:33:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=4232"},"modified":"2012-06-03T07:33:38","modified_gmt":"2012-06-03T12:33:38","slug":"royal-jubilee-a-fine-time-to-contemplate-what-will-remain-of-this-elizabethan-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2012\/06\/03\/royal-jubilee-a-fine-time-to-contemplate-what-will-remain-of-this-elizabethan-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Royal Jubilee a fine time to contemplate what will remain of this Elizabethan music"},"content":{"rendered":"
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An iPad-generated portrait of Queen Elizabeth II created last week by Montreal artist B\u00e9n\u00e9dictine.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was reading Queen Victoria’s journals<\/a> last week, and had to chuckle at her dislike for the “tedious” music of George Frideric Handel.<\/p>\n

He had been dead for nearly 80 years by the time Victoria ascended to the throne, yet his music was still being played and sung.<\/p>\n

While Prince Albert was alive, Victoria and her consort not only increased the number of royal concerts, they loved making their own music at home — perhaps the last royals to do so in earnest.<\/p>\n

For Victoria’s 80th birthday, a who’s who of British composers contributed anthems in her honour — and I don’t think any of them are in regular performance. (Check out the list and audio samples here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Dipping into the sacred music of the Tudor era at yesterday’s concert for Bruce Hill further spurred me to wonder about the musical legacy of Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n

Which composers of the era will endure, and which will be forgotten in the coming centuries?<\/p>\n

Benjamin Britten will, unquestionably, be at the top of the list of survivors. (Which makes me think of the distaste the present Queen showed for the opera, Gloriana<\/em> — a masterpiece, I believe — Britten wrote for her coronation festivities.)<\/p>\n

What pieces or composers of the mid- and late-20th century do you think will endure?<\/p>\n

To hopefully stimulate your thoughts, here are 90 minutes of music that span the last four-and-a-half centuries.<\/p>\n

Some of the music of living composer John Tavener is likely to survive, because of its timeless quality, so I thought I’d set his music up against John Taverner, a great from early Tudor times.<\/p>\n

Let’s start with the recent, John Tavener’s The Protecting Veil<\/em>. The ancient is John Taverner’s magnificent Missa Gloria tibi Trinitas<\/em>, in honour of today’s church feast. (Both videos contain all the credits):<\/p>\n