Anthem: Zadok the Priest

Over the years we’ve heard a great deal from George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) on the stages of the SMF, including several fully-staged operas. Handel was perhaps the most well-known musician across Europe in the mid-18th century. Born in Halle in central Germany, young Handel received only modest compositional lessons. This was very much the era of “on-the-job training”, especially for church musicians, and Handel would continue to self-instruct as he gradually came into contact with more diverse styles in Hamburg, Rome, and Venice. Even after he crossed north over the Alps in early 1710, Handel continued to think and create in the Italian style. He took a post at Hanover in Germany, but left for his first visit to London before the end of the year. He received permission from the Elector of Hanover for a second English tour, and he daringly never went back to Germany.
As fate would have it, his old employer in Hanover eventually became King George I of England in 1714. Handel smoothed the day of reckoning by writing the dazzling Water Music at the king’s request. Less than a decade later, Handel composed the anthem Zadok the Priest for a new king, George II, crowned on October 4, 1727. Zadok has been sung at every English coronation since. The text, from the Book of Kings, has been recited at coronations since the 10th century. Handel opens with a lengthy and harmonically rich instrumental prelude before the chorus enters with its powerful declamation, “Zadok the Priest...” The second section, written in a dance-like triple meter filled with dotted rhythms, sets the text of rejoicing. Handel injects so much animation that one can almost see people dancing to the good news. He later returns to the march topic for “God save the King!” and the kind of brilliant vocal writing we have come to expect from him.

(c) Jason Stell