Prince of Denmark's March
Encyclopedia
The Prince of Denmark's March, commonly but erroneously called the Trumpet Voluntary
, is a musical composition (a march
) written circa. 1700, by English baroque
composer Jeremiah Clarke
(who was the first organist of the then newly rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral
).
. The misattribution emanated from an arrangement for organ published in the 1870s by Dr. William Spark (the town organist of Leeds, England). The arrangement was later adapted by Sir Henry Wood
in his well known arrangement for trumpet, string orchestra, and organ.
The oldest source is a collection of keyboard pieces published in 1700. A contemporary version for wind instruments also survives. According to some sources, the march was written in honour of George, Prince of Denmark, the consort of the then Princess, and later Queen, Anne of Great Britain
.
, and was played during the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles
at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981. This selection was almost certainly made because Charles is, by descent, a Prince of the Danish royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gluecksburg. (Charles's father, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born a Prince of Greece and the Greek royal family is a cadet branch of the Danish one, although by English custom neither Philip nor Charles use their Danish and Greek titles.)
The march was broadcast often by the BBC
during World War II, especially when programming was directed to occupied Denmark.
A brief portion of the tune can be heard at the end of the song "Tubthumping
" by British anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba and in the fade-out of The Beatles' song "It's All Too Much
". It was also one of the seventeen classical pieces used in creating the lead track of the 1981 Hooked on Classics
project. It was also the melodic counterpoint to the intro and verses of Sting's hit "All This Time
".
The piece is also used on The Colbert Report as the theme for the recurring segments Colbert Platinum (on trumpet) and Colbert Aluminum (on kazoo).
The march is used as the background music during the hourly performance of the Royal Clock
in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, Australia.
Trumpet Voluntary
Trumpet Voluntary is the name given to some English keyboard pieces from the Baroque era. A trumpet voluntary is most commonly played on the organ using the trumpet stop, hence the name...
, is a musical composition (a march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
) written circa. 1700, by English baroque
Baroque music
Baroque music describes a style of Western Classical music approximately extending from 1600 to 1760. This era follows the Renaissance and was followed in turn by the Classical era...
composer Jeremiah Clarke
Jeremiah Clarke
Jeremiah Clarke was an English baroque composer and organist.Thought to have been born in London around 1674, Clarke was a pupil of John Blow at St Paul's Cathedral. He later became organist at the Chapel Royal...
(who was the first organist of the then newly rebuilt St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
).
Composition
For many years the piece was attributed incorrectly to Clarke's elder and more widely known contemporary Henry PurcellHenry Purcell
Henry Purcell – 21 November 1695), was an English organist and Baroque composer of secular and sacred music. Although Purcell incorporated Italian and French stylistic elements into his compositions, his legacy was a uniquely English form of Baroque music...
. The misattribution emanated from an arrangement for organ published in the 1870s by Dr. William Spark (the town organist of Leeds, England). The arrangement was later adapted by Sir Henry Wood
Henry Wood (conductor)
Sir Henry Joseph Wood, CH was an English conductor best known for his association with London's annual series of promenade concerts, known as the Proms. He conducted them for nearly half a century, introducing hundreds of new works to British audiences...
in his well known arrangement for trumpet, string orchestra, and organ.
The oldest source is a collection of keyboard pieces published in 1700. A contemporary version for wind instruments also survives. According to some sources, the march was written in honour of George, Prince of Denmark, the consort of the then Princess, and later Queen, Anne of Great Britain
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
.
Usage
The march is popular as wedding musicWedding music
Wedding music applies music played at wedding celebrations, including the ceremony and any festivities before or after the event. The music can be performed live by musicians and/or vocalists or use pre-recorded songs, depending on the format of the event, traditions associated with the...
, and was played during the wedding of Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles
Wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer
The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Frances Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, United Kingdom. Their marriage was widely billed as a "fairytale wedding" and the "wedding of the century". It was watched by an estimated global TV...
at St Paul's Cathedral in 1981. This selection was almost certainly made because Charles is, by descent, a Prince of the Danish royal house of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Gluecksburg. (Charles's father, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, was born a Prince of Greece and the Greek royal family is a cadet branch of the Danish one, although by English custom neither Philip nor Charles use their Danish and Greek titles.)
The march was broadcast often by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
during World War II, especially when programming was directed to occupied Denmark.
A brief portion of the tune can be heard at the end of the song "Tubthumping
Tubthumping
"Tubthumping", informally known by its prominent lyric "I Get Knocked Down", is the title of a song released by the Anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba on 11 August 1997 through Universal Records and EMI Electrola. It was their most successful single, peaking at number 2 on the UK Singles Chart...
" by British anarcho-punk band Chumbawamba and in the fade-out of The Beatles' song "It's All Too Much
It's All Too Much
"It's All Too Much" is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1969 Yellow Submarine film soundtrack album. It was written and sung by George Harrison. It was originally recorded in 1967, shortly before the release of Sgt...
". It was also one of the seventeen classical pieces used in creating the lead track of the 1981 Hooked on Classics
Hooked on Classics
Hooked on Classics was a series of record albums first introduced in 1981, toward the end of the disco era's peak in popularity.Louis Clark, former arranger for Electric Light Orchestra, conducted the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra playing a collection of very recognizable extracts from classical...
project. It was also the melodic counterpoint to the intro and verses of Sting's hit "All This Time
All This Time (Sting song)
"All This Time" is a 1991 single by Sting. It was first released on Sting's 1991 album The Soul Cages. The song was the first single from album....
".
The piece is also used on The Colbert Report as the theme for the recurring segments Colbert Platinum (on trumpet) and Colbert Aluminum (on kazoo).
The march is used as the background music during the hourly performance of the Royal Clock
Royal Clock
The "Royal Clock" is located on the upper level of the southern half of the Queen Victoria Building in Sydney, Australia. It was designed by Neil Glasser and made by Thwaites & Reed of Hastings in England, and displays scenes of English royalty.-Performance:...
in the Queen Victoria Building, Sydney, Australia.