On 6th February 1952 King George VI died and his eldest daughter Elizabeth ascended to the throne, subsequently becoming the Head of the Commonwealth.

And to mark the Her Majesty's Sapphire Jubilee Anniversary, the first achieved by any British monarch, the Bands of the Household Division have been working away from their usual drill and Changing of the Guard ceremonies, on a special recording project for Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Guards Chapel

Rehearsals began last week at Wellington Barracks before moving into the iconic and prestigious Guards Chapel on Birdcage Walk, with its wonderful acoustic tempered for the recording by renowned classical music producers Simon Kiln and Arne Akselberg from the famous Abbey Road studios.

A substantial amount of music has been composed or arranged by Composer in Residence for the Commonwealth Music, Paul Carroll, and includes a special commission for Her Majesty the Queen, of a suite of four marches inspired by castles in the British Isles; Windsor, Caernarvon, Hillsborough and Balmoral.

The Duke of Edinburgh also receives a commissioned composition in the form of 'Jack', a folk-song like march featuring band and children's choir, comprising 52 children, one from every country in the Commonwealth.

Themes

Along with the Royal theme, there is a nautical element with 'Eternal Father' whilst the First World War is reflected upon in 'Abide with Me', 'The Battle of the Somme' and 'Passchendaele', which is a new composition by Director of Music and conductor on the project, Major Simon Haw MBE of the Coldstream Guards.

Additionally the recording features the Countess of Wessex String Orchestra in a number of songs and anthems from around the Commonwealth, including 'Tuvalu'.
Speaking to 4BR Major Haw said: "The professionalism, dedication, attention to detail and quality on display of both the musicians and engineers was simply inspiring.

The opportunity to make recordings and work in this way highlights the high level of performance of our talented musicians. It is a showcase of the opportunities to be had in the Household Division and the Corps of Army Music."

Encouraging composers

Meanwhile, Sally Shebe, Director-General of the Commonwealth Music Services added: "We have been encouraging composers from the Commonwealth to write for this project in order to have a library of music to refer to.

The theme for the recordings came from last year's annual Beating Retreat and the Commonwealth Anthem.'

She added: "The musicians of the Household Division are so welcoming and positively committed to what they do. The band sounds great and this has been captured along with some truly rousing and majestic music. To record works such as 'Passchendaele' in the Guards Chapel was extremely poignant and added to its gravitas."

The recording will be presented to Her Majesty and the His Royal Highness on Commonwealth Day and will eventually be available as a free download.

The opportunity to make recordings and work in this way highlights the high level of performance of our talented musicians. It is a showcase of the opportunities to be had in the Household Division and the Corps of Army MusicMajor Simon Haw MBE

More information

More information on Commonwealth Music Services can be found at: www.Commonwealth-music.net

Information about careers within the Bands of the Household Division and the Corps of Army Music, or about the Army Music Apprenticeship Scheme and the 'Golden Hello Bonus' of up to £10,000, contact WO1 Bandmaster Andrew Porter at: BandIG-BM@mod.uk