Choir of the Earth sings for The Coronation of King Charles III
Choir of the Earth has announced the details of its free public project to learn, sing and record Hallelujah from Handel’s Messiah for Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla on the occasion of their coronation.
Choir of the Earth has been privileged enough to have recorded performances for royalty on two previous occasions: Eternal Father, Strong To Save in honour of the late Prince Phillip on what would have been his 100th birthday, and a new arrangement of God Save The Queen by Ralph Allwood MBE to celebrate Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee. Thousands of people from all corners of the world took part in both projects, adding their voices to a sound that embodied the zeitgeist on these momentous occasions.
The Choir already had connections with royalty, with Musical Director Ben England receiving the British Empire Medal in October 2020 and Founder Mark Strachan joining him in January 2022.
However, the Choir is international and has diverse views, even amongst those based in the UK, and the Choir’s leadership feel it is important to explain the focus on these royal events. They say that music can provide comfort and harmony (literal and metaphorically) at times when public feelings are running high and therefore wanted to provide an opportunity for everyone to come together, no matter their background, level of musical skill, or political opinion. They wish to facilitate people singing together just to share a common experience centred around joy, at a time when life is difficult for many.
So when the Coronation date for King Charles III and the Queen Consort was announced, it was a question of “how” not “if” Choir of the Earth would once again lead the public in a musical celebration open to all.
Hallelujah from Handel’s Messiah is one of the most recognisable tunes in all of music. Sing the first “Haaaaa-lle-lu-jah!” and even those who say they don’t know anything about classical music will sing the rest of the line back to you without hesitation.
Hallelujah’s popularity is just one reason it was chosen by the Choir for its Coronation celebration project. Handel’s music has long been associated with royal occasions, with at least part of his Coronation Anthems featured at every coronation since 1727. The Choir wanted to focus on a different piece but with the same grand, celebratory tone. Add to this that, in 2018, His Royal Highness became the Patron of the Hallelujah Project, aiming to restore Handel’s home in Mayfair, London, and the decision seemed simple.
The next step was to make sure absolutely everybody could be involved. The choir had already recorded Handel’s four-part harmony for Hallelujah on two separate occasions, but were all-too-aware that many people who would take part are not regular choral singers and might be a bit daunted by the concept of choosing a voice part and singing in harmony. The Choir felt it was vital that everyone who wanted to take part could sing “the tune” they might have already heard. So they turned to friend-of-the-Choir, Richard Gowers.
Richard is a rising star in British classical music, and was recently appointed Director of Music at St George’s Church in Hanover Square – the church Handel himself attended. Choir of the Earth has been fortunate enough to have Richard perform organ and piano for them on numerous occasions over the last three years, and he has also produced stunning choral arrangements for them to record.
The Choir therefore commissioned Richard to produce a new line for Hallelujah that would be easy to learn and sing - even for those completely new to choral singing - and that would slot in effortlessly with the original soprano, alto, tenor and bass lines written by Handel, which would be sung by members of the Choir. Quite the task but Richard achieved it wonderfully.
And so the call went out from Choir of the Earth:
We would love everyone to come together and sing this famous piece. This special project is COMPLETELY FREE and ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY IS WELCOME to take part, no matter where you are in the world, whether you’re a regular singer or have never sung before.
Our wonderful conductor Ben has recorded a special Rehearsal Video to teach us all the well-known TUNE of the Hallelujah chorus. This is a brand new vocal line that has been created especially for this project, and we have made sure there are no high notes or really tricky bits. Ben breaks it down line by line and teaches you by ear, so you don’t need to know how to read music.
The Choir offered all the resources needed to learn, practise, record and send in the music. Mark explained the process in useful videos, while Ben taught the music and led the singers through the recording process step-by-step.
The rehearsals took place between 20-23 March 2023 and the deadline to submit recordings was Monday 3 April 2023. Singers were also asked to send in a selfie so the Choir can create a montage picture of all the participants.
Since then, Choir of the Earth’s brilliant sound engineers have been combining all of the voices in a recording studio to create the full choir. Ben, who has just been working with the sound team on the mix, has described the sound as “magnificent” and “absolutely epic”, saying he can’t wait for everyone to hear it.
The final recording and montage of selfies will be sent to Their Majesties’ Private Office as a gift to mark the Coronation. The Choir will then host a public online Concert Performance on Friday 5 May 2023 at 19:00 UK time to premiere it to the world. Tune in to hear the final recording and start the Coronation Weekend celebrations with a song in your heart… and a worm firmly in your ear!
ENDS
Notes to editors:
Founder and Director of Choir of the Earth, Mark Strachan, or its Musical Director Ben England BEM (or even George Frideric Handel himself!) would welcome the opportunity to discuss the event and tell the people of Bath and the surrounding area all about it. Please email Mark to arrange at: mark@choiroftheearth.com.
Choir of the Earth began life as The Self-Isolation Choir, which was founded in March 2020 as a response to the Coronavirus pandemic. Its rebranding from as Choir of the Earth in 2021 reflects how the choir has grown and matured from a pandemic phenomenon to an established choir, leading the way with digital singing innovation and climate-friendly music-making. Further information about current, future and previous projects is available at choiroftheearth.com.
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