One of the happy connections that hymn writing has proved me is the connection with Wendy Bamonte, the music director at the Lake Grove Presbyterian Church in Oswego, Oregon. Wendy is very energetic and creative. She has been planning for Easter 2024, and as a result of her planning, she contacted me with what I consider to be a delightful request.
She loves the anthem "Zadok the Priest" which George Friedrich Handel wrote as a Coronation Anthem. But of course, the lyrics to the original - which are scripturally based - deal specifically with the crowning of a new monarch. Indeed, the most recent occasion on which the anthem was heard worldwide was for the coronation of Charles III.
(You can hear a wonderful rendition of the original by the choir of Westminster Abbey on YouTube.)
"Zadok the Priest" was written in 1721 for the Coronation of George II. The original lyrics were based on I Kings 1:38-40. when Zadok the Priest anointed Solomon as King of Israel. The passage has been sung since the 900s at British coronations, set by a number of composers, until Handel wrote the definitive version that has been sung at coronations ever since George II's. At that first presentation of the anthem, the choir of Westminster Abbey actually sang it at a wrong part of the service. It is nice to know that even on great occasions of state, these matters that sometimes challenge worship planners on a Sunday morning, happen.
Wendy asked me to modify the lyrics, so that the anthem could be sung at Lake Grove on Easter Day, 2024. It was a lovely request, and I enjoyed fulfilling it for her. She tells me that the anthem with my new words will debut this coming Easter. I will be sure to worship with them via the web to hear the premier.
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