The Conversation (0)
Liam O'Dell
May 06, 2023
Charles and Camilla wave from Buckingham Palace balcony
content.jwplatform.com
If there’s one thing the upcoming Eurovision Song Contest will try to tell us, it’s that music can unite us all.
But before that, as King Charles III continues to enjoy his weekend as the newly crowned monarch, both royalists and republicans are agreeing that one particular song played during the coronation is quite the tune.
We’re talking about “Zadok the Priest”, the coronation anthem written by the German-British composer George Frideric Handel for the crowning of King George II in 1727. It played on Saturday as the King was anointed with holy oil behind screens shielding the “sacred” moment from public view.
The anointing – which uses an ampulla in the shape of an eagle containing the secret oil, and a golden spoon – sees the oil placed on the monarch’s head, breast and hands.
It’s one of the ceremony’s spiritual moments, as it relates to the anointing of King Solomon by - you guessed it – Zadok the priest, as written in the Bible.
Kings 1:38 and 1:39 reads: “So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet … went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon. There Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon.
“Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, ‘Long live King Solomon!’”
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This is referenced in “Zadok the Priest” itself, with the lyrics to the song being: “Zadok the priest / And Nathan the prophet / Anointed Solomon king / And all the people / Rejoiced, rejoiced, rejoiced.”
Pretty self-explanatory, that.
Oh, and for the football fans reading this, you may recognise the song from the Champions League, but it’s not quite the same.
Handel’s composition was borrowed by musician Tony Britten to create the anthem for the football competition from 1992, and comes with its own unique lyrics.
Nevertheless, that didn’t stop some viewers of the coronation from being a tad confused by the song’s appearance in the ceremony, and people on both sides of the argument as to whether the UK should abolish the monarchy found it enjoyable:
\u201cthe anti-monarchist leaving my body the moment Zadok the Priest starts playing\u201d— joel (@joel) 1683143812
\u201cWhen Zadok the Priest drops.\u201d— Danny \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddfc (@Danny \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\udde6\ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\uddfc) 1683365822
\u201cFootball fans hearing \u201cZadok the Priest\u201d during the anointment and thinking it\u2019s the Champions League Anthem #Coronation #AbolishMonarchy\u201d— HAKAD (@HAKAD) 1683370003
\u201cwhen Zadok the Priest drops #Coronation\u201d— General Boles (@General Boles) 1683371019
\u201cMy family couldn\u2019t understand my excitement about Zadok The Priest when it first came on\u2026then it blew their socks off! An incredible piece of music \ud83c\udfbc\n\nhttps://t.co/qkYzwOoLb6\u201d— Chris Hubbard (@Chris Hubbard) 1683383019
\u201cWhatever your stance is on the coronation, Zadok the Priest is an absolute banger \ud83c\udfb6\u201d— Louise Harvey (@Louise Harvey) 1683364196
\u201cThere's everything to enjoy about coronation ceremonies, but the part I enjoy the most is hearing Zadok the Priest. It was absolutely phenomenal \ud83d\udcaf\u201d— Fr. James A (Faith-Chat Platform) (@Fr. James A (Faith-Chat Platform)) 1683375398
\u201cZadok the priest is a bop sorry not sorry #Coronation \u201d— chris\ud83e\uddfc (@chris\ud83e\uddfc) 1683370175
\u201cPeriodic reminder that Zadok the Priest is an absolute banger.\u201d— Helen Dale (not on your team, but always fair) (@Helen Dale (not on your team, but always fair)) 1683370059
\u201cWhatever you think of all today's business, I hope we can all agree that Zadok the Priest is a banger.\u201d— Matthew Castle (@Matthew Castle) 1683380289
\u201cAmongst all the outdated sycophantic nonsense being foisted and forced on a nation of 'subjects' today, I will admit to enjoying some of the music - Zadok the Priest by example - That Handel sure could bang out a good tune ..\u201d— Andy Burge \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u270a\ud83c\udfff (@Andy Burge \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\udde6\u270a\ud83c\udfff) 1683379103
\u201cTuned out for a while; now they are building a box to the Champions League music. Does Charles pop out the top?\u201d— Dara \u00d3 Briain (@Dara \u00d3 Briain) 1683370017
\u201cThat\u2019s gotta be the Champions League music \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23https://t.co/cB985wOygl\u201d— Theo (@Theo) 1683370932
\u201cThat\u2019s gotta be the Champions League music \ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23\ud83e\udd23https://t.co/cB985wOygl\u201d— Theo (@Theo) 1683370932
\u201cThat's the Champions League song #Coronation\u201d— Abbie Stella Boyd \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25 (@Abbie Stella Boyd \u2764\ufe0f\u200d\ud83d\udd25) 1683370067
Although amidst all of this, we can’t help but wonder if it’s possible for other countries around the world to get a Handel (sorry) on just what’s going on in the UK today…
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