TRACK OF THE WEEK
Every week Frank selects his own favourite track of the week from our weekly Music Podcast, and it's completely free to listen too, here on Frank Renton on Brass. As he says this week,
"Seventy years ago when the Queen’s Coronation was being planned, led by the Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey Sir William McKie the decision was taken to invite the congregation to sing a hymn for the first time ever at a Coronation and Ralph Vaughan Williams was invited to make a ceremonial arrangement of the Old Hundredth, All people That On Earth Do Dwell.
The result was simply wonderful, and that arrangement, for Choir, Organ, Fanfare Trumpets and if possible an orchestra has become a staple of state and ceremonial events ever since.
I played it many times as a trumpeter with first the Royal Horse Guards then as a Student at Kneller Hall, and conducted it at many grand occasions as a Director of Music. I was never good enough to be entrusted with the solo trumpet obbligato in verse three, but I have led performances with several great players and marveled at their poise and ability.
There are five verses in the original but for the purposes of this podcast we have edited it down to three, the grand opening fanfare and first verse, the third verse for choir and solo trumpet, and the last with all its grandeur.
So Track of the Week here at Frank Renton on Brass, the Old Hundredth arranged by Ralph Vaughan Williams recorded in Westminster Abbey at the Coronation of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the 2nd, have a wonderful Platinum Jubilee Ma’am from all of us at Frank Renton on Brass."
We hope you’ll enjoy our free track of the week that's below - and then will join us to hear all our many programmes, interviews and music podcasts. It’s a lot less than a cup of coffee a week!
