Queen’s choice of music charted her spiritual journey

In her final statement as Defender of the Faith, Queen Elizabeth selected hymns from her wedding and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee for her funeral.

Westminster Abbey in London on Monday night for the State Funeral Service for Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: AFP

In her final statement as Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II selected hymns from her wedding to the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee for her funeral ceremony.

The music for the service – which featured three hymns, two anthems and two new works by composers James MacMillan and Judith Weir – was planned more than a decade ago, with the Queen personally selecting the well-known hymns and psalms.

Flanked by Edward Elgar’s funeral elegy and Hubert Parry’s dramatic anthem My Soul, There is a Country, 2000 guests joined the choirs of Westminster Abbey and the Chapel Royal to sing the three hymns, The Lord’s My Shepherd, The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended and Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

The second hymn was performed in 1897 as part of the diamond jubilee celebrations for Queen Victoria, while The Lord’s My Shepherd was sung at her wedding to Prince Philip in November 1947. The hymn was also one of the Queen’s favourite pieces of music, having featured in a 2016 list of the late monarch’s top 10 pieces of music.

Theologian and church historian Thomas Fudge said the Queen’s selection of traditional hymns was a clear statement about her deep personal commitment to the Christian faith and its role during her reign as monarch.

“These are intentional, thoughtful selections that not only reflect traditional Christian faith and hymnody but also reflect her personal commitment,” he said.

“There is a lot of symbolism in the selection of The Day Thou Gavest Lord is Ended, which says that darkness has fallen, and death has come at the bidding of God, but that there is also new light. I think the Queen consciously selected this because of that meaning.”

Professor Fudge said the scripture in the hymns reflected the “sovereignty of God” and reminded people of the strength of the Queen’s Christian faith.

“Those who have paid close attention to the royal proclamations would see that her Christian faith was very much part of her character, and that it wasn’t just posturing … there is a reason this a Christian funeral and not a secular one.

“In these hymns, the spiritual journey of the Queen is really bookended in the sovereignty of God, and in the familiar hymn, The Lord’s My Shepherd, we hear an affirmation of personal faith that is tied to history.”