British Royal and State Funerals: Music and Ceremonial since Elizabeth I by Matthias Range (review)

Previous research on the music and ceremonial at royal and state funerals has been sporadic, often centring around the work of one composer or a specific funeral. In this most recent study, Matthias Range rectifies this, providing a detailed assessment of funerals spanning around 400 years. His starting point, the funeral for Elizabeth I in 1603, is justified as being the first major royal funeral to take place after the foundation of the Church of England; his end-point, the funeral of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in 2002, is the first royal and state funeral of the new millennium. Nevertheless, Range goes beyond this, to also include a brief section on the 2013 funeral of former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, and reference to the re-burial of Richard III in March 2015 (pp. 317–19). Extending the study beyond the monarchy to include state funerals for non-royal members of the royal family is important, as some of the grandest occasions, for example that of the Duke of Marlborough in 1722, had a strong influence on the development of the ceremonial and music at later funerals. As Range also tells us, funerals were the grandest of state occasions after coronations, which formed the topic of his first book, Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations: From James I to Elizabeth II (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2012)—the present study is clearly intended as a sequel and is structured in a similar fashion.

Despite its almost encyclopaedic nature covering a vast number of funerals between 1603 and the time of publication, the book sensibly concentrates on those that are “ceremonially and musically outstanding” (p. 4). Detailed discussions on the funerals of well-known figures, such as the Kings and Queens of England and their consorts, as well as leading national figures, including, for example, Sir Winston Churchill (1965) can therefore be readily found. However, Range does not neglect lesser-known figures, such as Prince Henry of Wales (1612), the Earl of Sandwich (1672), Prince George of Denmark, husband of Queen Anne (1708), or the Duke of York (1821), often giving them a couple of pages of attention. The book is based on a wealth of primary source material drawn from extensive research conducted in the College of Arms, Westminster Abbey Archive, the National Archives, and elsewhere. Many readers will be pleased to find that several documents have been reproduced, for example, the funeral procession of Elizabeth I, processional routes in Westminster Abbey, as well as occasional music manuscript pages in addition to newly set music examples.

The lengthy introduction (thirty-seven pages) provides, among other things, a clear explanation of the differences between a state funeral and a royal funeral, as well as an introduction to the historical context behind public and private funerals. Range also offers a clear account of the three key ceremonial parts of a grand funeral, including detailed explanations of the lying in state, procession, and church service. A general introduction to the liturgy of the burial service, the music performed (including not only liturgical music, but also fanfares and processional music), the performance practices of the music (for example, the addition of the Chapel Royal choir to the choir of the hosting venue at royal funerals), and the performing forces (for funerals the number of musicians and size of the choir remained relatively constant and fairly small, while for coronations it grew with time (p. 35) provides further necessary ground work for the main body of the book.

Taking the music programme of funerals as his starting point, Range divides the book into eight substantial chapters in chronological order, which reflect the changing tastes and styles of funerals. The funeral of Elizabeth I is “shrouded in obscurity” (p. 43); nevertheless, Range gives an overview of what is known and what is unknown, giving in precise detail—a common feature...