The tradition of coronation dances in the United Kingdom: Coronation waltz and other royal dances

Introduction

In the history of dance, every year choreographers battle to create the season’s hit. Competition is fierce. Dance professionals have to pull out all the stops to stand out.

How can they ensure maximum visibility for their new dance?

By relying on an already established celebrity!

• So, the Furlana (1914) tried to leverage the success of tango;
• The Quadrille de la Paix (1859) benefited the support of the empress Eugénie de Montijo ;
• Many social dances are extracted from successful shows. For exemple, Pécour’s Allemande (1701), or the Trans-Atlantic (c.1904) ;
• Other dances specifically reference important event. The Quake (1908) refers to the deadly earthquake in San Francisco two years earlier (note that I said “important”, not “happy”);
• Etc.

A type of events particularly inspire the choreographes and composers: the royal coronations.

These moments of popular celebration lend themselves well to the organisation of balls.

What better occasion to launch a new fashionable dance?

The tradition of coronation dances and music in the United Kingdom

There is a genuine tradition of coronation music and dances in tha country. I will only consider the 19th and 20th centuries here. This is enough to demonstrate the importance of this tradition.

George IV and William IV

In 1821, John Charles White celebrates the advent of George IV, with his Coronation Quadrilles. It doesn’t have a specific choreography, as it is a music to dance the First Set on. Funny detail: this quadrille includes six figures, instead of the usual five (Pantalon, Eté, Poule, Trénis, Pastorale et Finale).

John Purkis composed George the Fourth’s Coronation. Grand march and waltz for the Pianoforte, around the same time. I am not sure that this was actually a dance music, as the waltz was not yet fully accepted in 1821.

The following year, James Power published Coronation Dance, a rather uninspired longways.

I couldn’t find anything about the coronation of William IV and Adelaide in 1831 (very disappointing). It was not the monarch’s age (64!) that deterred choreographers. Rather, it was the intense political turmoil in England between 1830 and 1832, which completely overshadowed the king’s accession to the throne.

I did, however, find a late publication by Nicario Jauralde (1833) entitled The Coronation Waltz, for Piano Forte or Spanish Guitar.

Queen Victoria and her many Coronation waltzes

In 1838 and 1839, many compositions aknowledge Queen Victoria‘s coronation. The first being Victoria Gallop, by Johnson (J. G. Osbourne, Philadelphia).

Beside this gallop, there is an avalanche of waltzes! This dance was then become more acceptable than in 1812 – and this was Victoria’s favourite, that’s why so many where composed.

• The British queen waltz and galopade by Julius Metz (New York).
• Huldigung der Königin Victoria von Grossbritannien by Johann Strauss I (New York).
• Coronation Waltz for the Piano Forte, by J. L. Paulina (London, 1838).
• The Coronation Waltz arranged for the Piano Forte, by Maria Forster (London, 1838).
• The coronation quadrilles and waltz, by Alcina D’oyley (London, 1838).
• The Coronation Waltzes, by Adolphe Flèche (London 1838).
• The Bonny English Rose and Victoria Grand Coronation Waltz, by Joseph Binns Hart (London, c. 1840).

As again, there are no specific figure. On those Coronation waltzes, one dances “simply” the waltz.

A bit later, in 1843, Elias Howe pubished a Coronation Hornpipe in his Musician’s Companion (Boston). There is no dance instructions. This a a priori not the first time that this melody gets published. So it can refer to any coronation, from William the conqueror to Victoria. But more probably, any monarch from the 18th or 19th century. 😊

Durign her long reign, Victoria gained the titles of Queen of Canada (1867) and Empress if India (1876). John Lee composed a glee titles Rose of England. Coronation glee. Although not dated, it was probably composed for the coronation of 1875.

Edouard VII

Edouard VII succeed his mother on the throne in 1902, around a year after his mother’s death.

This event inspired many composers and choreographs!

The choreographies

An article from the Saint-Louis Post-Dispatch (November 8, 1902), announces the death of the two-step, to be replaced by the Coronation Gavotte. It is not the first time that a dance dies on Histoire de Bal… The Coronation Gavotte has a specific choreography, written by Jacob Mahler. The instructions given are brief and basic. Note the presence of a reverence “bow as in court”: a royal reference!

Ironically, this Coronation Gavotte, that was supposed to deliver the final blow to the two-step, contains… eighteen (18!) two-step steps…

Oscar Duenweg, from Terre Haute (Indiana, USA), also composed a Coronation Gavotte, different from the previous one. There is no royal bow, but walking steps, balances and two-step.

More Coronation waltzes…

The most famous Coronation Waltz was composed by Johann Strauss. In 1902, Johann and his orchestra were hired to play during Edward VII’s coronation. They brought as a gift a new waltz dedicated to the new royal couple: Krönungs-Walzer. Unfortunately, the king fell ill and the festivities scheduled for 26 June were postponed until 9 August. The orchestra was unavailable on that date and therefore did not perform at the royal event.

I assume that this Strauss waltz, like the others, did not have any particular choreography.

Other Coronation Watlzes were composed for Edward VII’s advent:

• The King’s Coronation. Waltz, by Gerald P. Bushbridge (London, 1901)
• The Coronation Waltz, J. Warwick Moore (Birmingham, 1901)
• Coronation Waltz, by Henry C. Grace (London, 1902)
• Coronation Waltz, by Kate Ivimey (1902)

There was even a “compilation”, The coronation waltz album, with compositions by A.E. Davison, Juventino Rosas, I. Ivanovici, Edward Jones, Edward Hesse and Wilhelm Muller (London, 1902).

Edward’s coronation also inspired several waltzes across the Commonwealth: Richard Quinton, Joseph Saint John (Canada) et  Edwina Edkins (Australia).

One of those many waltzes may be the Coronation Waltzes announced by the newspaper Le petit bleu du matin on Christmas day 1902. The article presented this dance as one of the upcoming hits for the following season. However, the author of the article was not impressed by this dance, « qui rendrait impardonnable et choquante au dernier point toute apparence de gaieté ou d’enjouement. » (‘which would make any appearance of cheerfulness or playfulness unforgivable and utterly shocking’). In short, if you enjoy yourself, you’re dancing it wrong.

… But not only!

Composer Ezra Read must have been particularly moved by this event: he composed no less than four “royal” works in 1912: Coronation Day Fantasia, The Coronation Grand March, Waiting for the King. Coronation Cake Walk and one Coronation Waltz. Only the last two are music for dancing.

Ezra Read’s great rival, Ernest Reeves, was not to be outdone. Under the pseudonym Fabien Scott, he composed Coronation March and Our King. A Coronation Barn Dance.

It is difficult to access sheet music in these times of Covid and Brexit, so I cannot tell you whether these waltzes have a dedicated choreography.

George V

George V became king on June 22, 1911. Again, the event inspires many composers.

Coronation medley march and two-step, by Fred R. Weaver, is for sure not to be danced. It is a medley of patriotic british melodies, that had a great success. Indeed, it was copyrighted in 1911, and five years later it was already in its 25th edition. This particular edition was played by brass bands at the 1916 Toronto Exhibition.

Amongst those melodies, we find The Maple Leaf Forever and O, Canada (this is in Canada, after all), British grenadiers, Rule Britannia, and of course God save the King.

Nick Enge also owns the authentic choreography for a Coronation Cotillion, devised by W. F. Hurndall, and composed by the same and Thurley Beale. That choreography, in waltz time, is dedicated to the royal couple (not only to the monarch, for once): « In commemoration of the Coronation of Their Royal & Imperial Majesties King George V & Queen Mary ».

Besides those novelties, we find, as usual, many waltzes.

• Coronation waltz, by Marie I. L. Fernandes Roach (London, c.1911)
• Coronation waltz: for pianoforte, by Andrew de Leeuw (London, c.1911)
• Waltz 1911. Coronation, etc. by Frederick Walter Baker (Taunton, 1911)
• Coronation Waltzes, for the Pianoforte by R. J Talintyre (Stockton-on-Tees, 1911)
• Coronation: valse, by J. H. Greenhalgh (London, 1911)

Surprising founds

Oceania makes two interesting contribution to that quite repetitive list.

The Royal Coronet Waltz, by D. Henry Stewart (Sydney, 1911), is dedicated : “written in commemoration of the coronation of his majesty King George V”.

Special mention for a surprising Coronation Waltz by Tyrell Baxter, from New Zealand. The drawing on the cover depicts the flag of New Zealand, and the face of a man that is definitively not George V, as he bears traditional maori tatoos.

Edward VIII’s and George VI’s coronation waltzes

1936 and 1937 are some troubled years for the British monarchy, with two kings: Edward VIII and George VI. This does not prevent scores from flourishing around the theme of the coronation.

Several songs can be found under the title Coronation Waltz:

• A song by Irving Masloff and Cunningham (New York) ;
• Another by Mitchell Parish, Benee Russell and Peter de Rose (New York) ;
• Yet another by Jimmy Kennedy (London). That name may not be familiar, but his song Istanbul not Constantinople (1953) got a second youth a decade ago;
• And also a Coronation Song by Hubert J. Parker without location nor publisher’s name.

But, here it is, Edward abdicated before his official coronation, to marry Wallis Simpson. His brother George VI is crowned the following year.

I found no dance, music or song dédicated to George VI’s coronation. I guess that the composers were catched off-guard.

In short, the dynastic upheavals of this period did not generate as much enthusiasm among music publishers as previous coronations.

Elizabeth II’s Coronation waltzes

Did Wallis Simpson break the one-hundred-year-old tradition of royal coronation music?

It appears that no!

Surprising as it may seem, this tradition continued until 1953, the year of Elizabeth II‘s coronation. In fact, at least two dances celebrate this event.

V. Silvester and Alex Moore created The Queen Elizabeth Waltz, set to music by Silvester himself and Ernest Wilson. It is a 16-bar sequence.

The Empire Society of Teachers of Dancing dedicated a choreography called Coronation Waltz to the sovereign, set to music by Christine Hurst and George Warren.

In terms of dance music, there was no shortage of options, including:

• A Waltz for the Queen. Television’s New Coronation Dance, by Harry S. Pepper and Kenneth Wright (Londres, 1953)
• The coronation waltz, by Raymond Avella (1952). The same wrote The coronation melody.
• In New Zealand, two Johnny (Reine and May) composed The Windsor Waltz.
• Still from the land of the Kiwi, a song: The Elizabeth Waltz, music by Lorraine Barton, lyrics by Lavinia Barton.

And finally, to change from the waltzes, a Coronation foxtrot composed by Grace C. William.

Analysis

Is there a link between the producers and the Royal family?

I couldn’t do deep research about the nearly 50 composers, lyricists and choreographers having created coronation dances.

However, it seems that none of them has a direct link to the British Crown. Indeed, artists take pride in titles such as “Ball director at the Court”. So, if they benefited from a royal patronage or order, the information would be stated on the music sheet.

As not any document that I’ve read bear that kind of mention, I have to suppose that the artists acted on their own initiative. But then, why would someone dedicate a dance to a monarch?

I think that this is a marketing argument. The artists and their publisher wish to benefit from the popular enthusiasm for the royal events. So they don’t need a lot of advertising, as the newspapers constantly speak about the coronation already.

The music sheet use that leverage a lot:

• Dedication to the monarch or the royal couple
• Portrait of the sames
• “royal” inconography: crowns, English roses, monograms, flags…

The Royal Coronet Waltz is an excellent example of that marjeting around royalty. The music sheet is dedicated as follows: “Written in commemoration of the coronation of His Majecty King George V”. Under this text, a picture of the crowned king. And to insist even more, a crown on each side of the picture!

However, the author do not showcase any affiliation with the Crown. He simply reminds two of his previous hit: “By D. Henry Stewart, composer of the popular ‘Verona’ & ‘Brilliante’ waltzes”.

Dates and place of publishing

You will have notice that some music sheets are published before the actual date of coronation. There is usually a year between the death of one monarch and the official coronation of the next. Music publishers and composers therefore waste no time and publish their coronation anthem as soon as possible.

I think there is also a kind of race to be the first score related to the coronation on the market, and thus make additional sales.

British kings and queens do not reign only over the United Kingdom. They are also the monarchs of many colonies and former colonies. This explains why I found scores in Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

The American music sheets are more surprising. But after all, a royal coronation is a glamourous event as any other one. And already during the XIXth century, the whole world was passionate about the British monarchy.

Statistic table

The numbers given here above are to take with caution. Despite my efforts, I seriously doubt that my analysis is fully complete. On the other hand, I don’t think we’re going to discover thirty coronation mazurkas tomorrow. That’s why I’m going to use the figures to identify the major trends.

The waltz accounts for three-quarters of the types of dances represented. It leads the dance (haha) far ahead of the march and the two-step. The latter includes the choreographed gavottes of 1902, since this is the basic step for these dances.

Quadrilles and gallops bring up the rear, while hornpipes and country dances lag far behind with only one representative of each type.

The longevity of the waltz has benefited this dance. However, it should be noted that the way the waltz is danced has changed dramatically between its introduction in Western Europe at the very beginning of the 19th century and its codification as a competitive dance in the 1950s. ‘Waltz’ is therefore an umbrella term that encompasses a wide variety of dance styles.

What success for the coronation dances?

Apparently, no big success. In the best case, the dance lasts a season. Only Strauss’ works are still played nowadays.

None of the dances I found enjoyed lasting success. Apart from the compositions of the two Johann Strauss, none of the melodies were reissued or even replayed, it seems. Libraries have preserved recordings of some works, but these are always contemporary with the publication of the score. Some scores were published in several countries, but again, only once, in the year of the coronation.

These elements indicate that the coronation dances and melodies never achieved lasting success. However, it is possible that they were very successful at the time of their release. Otherwise, how can we explain why the publisher W. H. Broom published a Coronation Waltz and a Coronation Barn Dance in 1902, and another Coronation Waltz in 1911?

Conclusion

As we can see, musical and choreographic compositions surrounding British royal and imperial coronations are a well-established tradition throughout the Commonwealth.

It would be particularly interesting to see whether this type of tradition also exists (or existed?) in other monarchies. This opens up a whole new field of research. It remains to be seen what the archives of France, Belgium, Spain, Prussia, Russia and other countries have to reveal.

I also believe that this tradition can be traced back even further. I chose – rather arbitrarily – to begin my research in the 19th century, but it can surely be traced back even further. After all, the tradition of coronation hymns dates back to that of Charles I in 1626. Why shouldn’t the tradition of coronation dances go back just as far?

Many thanks to Roger Hourant for pointing me towards two new sources.

Special thanks to Nick Enge for his help with the Coronation Cotillion.