Walton: Coronation Te Deum; Missa brevis; A Litany & Other Choral Works

Featuring

James Vivian
Stephen Layton
Emma Preston-Dunlop
Simon Wall
Colin Campbell
The Wallace Collection

Polyphony
Sir William Walton

Did you know?

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Composition History

Walton's "Coronation Te Deum" was commissioned for Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953, after he had to abandon an earlier setting of the text for the 1944 Proms due to film work.

Composition History

Walton's early work, "Make we joy now in this fest," was a lightweight choral commission written for the "Daily Despatch" newspaper and published on Christmas Eve 1931.

Recording & Production

This recording of the "Coronation Te Deum" features organ and brass accompaniment, and includes a preceding fanfare that Walton wrote for the Queen's entrance to the NATO Parliamentary Conference in 1959.

Composer Biography

Walton's mother had to borrow money from the local greengrocer for train fares to his chorister audition, as his father had spent the ticket money the night before.

Composer Biography

William Walton's journey into music began when his parents responded to a press advertisement for chorister trials at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Walton often expressed a lack of inspiration for traditional church texts, describing the Jubilate as "not the most inspiring bit of nonsense" and the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis as "most uninspiring."

Composer Biography

Walton, despite his aristocratic connections and success, was always attracted to money, which he referred to as "the filthy lucre," possibly due to his humble beginnings.