Last September, three English teams (Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea) and a Scottish team (Glasgow’s Celtic) played their home match, which coincided with the second day of the group stage. Champions League. In any of the matches played on English soil competition anthem, as a tribute to the period of mourning declared after the death of Queen Elizabeth. The paradoxical thing about it is, Coronation of Carlos III heard champions league anthem. Or at least something very similar.
What really sounds “Priest Zadok”one of the four hymns Georg Friedrich Handel Composed by order in 1727 on the occasion of the Coronation of King George II. At that time, Handel had yet to become a British subject, after gaining enormous prestige throughout Europe through his work at the head of the Royal Academy of Music (the Naturalization Act was one of the last documents signed by King George I before his death). . Taking some text as a starting point King James BibleIn just three days, Händel composed four Coronation Hymns. Or so it is said.
scented oil
‘Priest Zadok’ is based on the biblical account of Solomon’s proclamation as king of the Israelites by the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan; pacific edgarin the year 973. Since 1727, Handel’s work has accompanied the thrones of all British monarchs without exception and has often been performed. during the anointing of the new ruler with scented oil.
Queen Nearly forty years after ‘Priest Zadok’ was played at Elizabeth’s coronation, UEFA commissioned British composer Tony Britten in 1992. creation of an anthem for the main continental club competition that is about to be renamed Champions League. Britten unraveled the vote by going to Händel’s work and making minor changes between them, such as a letter with very limited poetic ambition in French, German, and English (“these are the best teams, masters, champions…” and all So). Britten had an alibi because while Händel himself was alive, he openly allowed the use of his hymn at all kinds of ceremonies and public events (he recycled several passages himself in some of his later works).
So great was the resemblance between the Champions League hymn and “Priest Zadok” that in 2002 the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields choir was invited to participate in the recording of an album of football hymns (“World Soccer Anthems”). ), limited himself to interpreting Händel’s original piece. The same that will be played at the coronation of Carlos III, by the way, He is a fan of Burnley FCis a historic club playing in the Championship, the second category of English football this season. Far from the Champions League.