Last Night of the Proms
William Walton (1902-1983): Crown Imperial; Orb and Sceptre

Sir William Walton was certainly the finest Master of the King's/Queens's Musick that never was. He frequently produced ceremonial pieces with just the right combination of fanfare, colour and a real "English" tune. His ability to many music of genuine spirit and originality with a current of popular and national feeling was unique in his generation. The two most famous products of this skill were the coronation marches: Crown Imperial, commissioned by the BBC for the coronation of Edward VIII and performed at that of George VI in 1937 and Orb and Sceptre, written for the coronation of the Queen in 1953 and dedicated to Her Majesty. Walton unashamedly borrows the design of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches, with the central section reserved for a stilling tune. He found the inspiration for the titles for his marches in a passage from <