British Royal and State Funerals
Title Details

426 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

18 b/w, 5 line illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press

British Royal and State Funerals

Music and Ceremonial since Elizabeth I

by Matthias Range

  • Description
  • Contents
  • Reviews
The first in-depth study of the ceremonial and music performed at British royal and state funerals over the past 400 years.

British royal and state funerals are among the most elaborate and solemn occasions in European history. This book is the first in-depth study of the ceremonial and the music performed at these events over the past 400 years, fromthe funeral of Elizabeth I in 1603. Covering funerals of both royalty and non-royalty, including Nelson, Wellington and Churchill, this study goes up to the funerals of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002 and the ceremonial funeral of Baroness Thatcher in 2013. While some of these funerals have received a good deal of attention - especially the 1997 funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales - these extraordinary events have largely not been discussed in their longer historical context.
The book examines the liturgical changes in the Anglican funeral rite since the Reformation and also the change from the so-called 'public' to 'private' funerals. It includes many new findings onthe development of the ceremonial and its intricate peculiarities, as well as new insights into the music and its performance. British Royal and State Funerals shows that, despite a strong emphasis on continuity in the choice of music, the ceremonial itself has shown an astonishing flexibility over the last four centuries. Overall, the book also contributes to the debate on the monarchy's changing public image over time by paying particular attention to topics such as tradition and propaganda. Drawing on substantial research in principal libraries and archives, including those of Westminster Abbey, the College of Arms, Lambeth Palace and the British Library, this book is an exhaustive resource for musicologists, musicians and historians alike, providing an unprecedented insight into this most sombre of royal and state occasions.

MATTHIAS RANGE is author of Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations (2012). He is a post-doctoral researcher for the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music and its partner AHRC-funded Tudor Partbooks project at the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford.
Introduction: British Royal and State Funerals and their Music
Heraldic Heyday: From Elizabeth I to the Duke of Rothes (1603-1681)
'Postscript to an era'?: Charles II and Mary II (1685 and 1694/5)
Private Royals and Public Heroes: From William III to the Duke of Marlborough (1702-1722)
The 'Concert Funerals': From Queen Caroline to George II (1737-1760)
Public Heroes and Private Royals: From Pitt the Elder and Lord Nelson to Queen Adelaide (1778/1806-1849)
Apogee and Royal Retreat: From the Duke of Wellington to Prince Albert Victor and William Gladstone (1852-1892/98)
Imperial Farewells: From Queen Victoria to Winston Churchill and the Duke of Windsor (1901-1965/72)
The Royal Return to the Public: From Lord Mountbatten to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother (1979-2002)
Appendices
Bibliography
"Range's book, in spite of the emphasis on the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, is the most complete study of music in British royal and state funerals available to date and should rightfully earn a place as the seminal study on the topic. The meticulous research, including thorough citations, offers a welcome resource to all." NOTES, JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
"Highly recommended to researchers and students, historians and musicologists, or anyone with a broader interest in the history of the royal family, state, or leading national figures between 1603 and the present day." FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE
"Should be on the reference shelves of every good academic library because of its detailed factual content." BRIO
"A wide-ranging exploration of a neglected field of research that contains much valuable information and is impressive in its scope." EARLY MUSIC
"Presents new and interesting ideas that can support future research. It also offers historians different points of view on traditional fields of study-such as ceremonies-which are not usually explored through music, sounds, or even through silence." ROYAL STUDIES JOURNAL
"This is a significant scholarly addition to the sparse resources in the area of British royal and state funerals, and also to the music and liturgy of each one." JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
"A detailed explanation and examination of royal and state funerals in England." THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY JOURNAL
"Meticulously researched and impressively detailed." SOCIAL HISTORY
"An essential work for historians and, of course, musicologists and musicians." REFERENCE REVIEWS
"[An] excellent new survey." THE MUSICAL TIMES
"[A] valuable addition to the literature." John Wolffe, Journal of British Studies

Hardcover

9781783270927

March 2016

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£80.00 / $115.00

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Ebook (EPDF)

9781782046981

March 2016

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£19.99 / $24.95

Title Details

426 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

18 b/w, 5 line illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press