The Prince Albert Te Deum is a nineteenth-century
Anglican choral mini-masterpiece which deserves to be
better known. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
(1819-1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. His was
the genius that drove the Great London Exhibition of
1851, which led to the building of the Crystal Palace
and many other London landmarks. And his remarkable
talents extended into music. He moved in the best
musical circles and was a close friend of the composer
Felix Mendelssohn, who w...(+)
The Prince Albert Te Deum is a nineteenth-century
Anglican choral mini-masterpiece which deserves to be
better known. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
(1819-1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. His was
the genius that drove the Great London Exhibition of
1851, which led to the building of the Crystal Palace
and many other London landmarks. And his remarkable
talents extended into music. He moved in the best
musical circles and was a close friend of the composer
Felix Mendelssohn, who was a regular guest of the
Prince in London. Through this friendship
Mendelssohnâ??s links with England blossomed. This led
to the first British performance of Bachâ??s St
Matthew Passion in Birmingham in 1837, and ultimately
to the founding of the London Bach Society. It also led
to the commissioning of Mendelssohnâ??s Elijah for the
1845 Birmingham Festival.
Prince Albert was a composer himself. And, in 1845, he
composed this Te Deum Laudamus (God, we praise you), at
the relatively-tender age of twenty-six. He wrote it
for an event in Westminster Abbey that year. It
remained relatively unknown for over forty years. But
in 1887, another performance took place in Lichfield
Cathedral as part of Queen Victoriaâ??s Golden Jubilee
celebrations, as was told by the composer Havergal
Brian. Brian related how, at the age of eleven, he sang
in the Cathedral choir and was so moved by the music
that it influenced the second movement of his vast
Gothic Symphony for 1,000 voices. And it is possible,
even likely, that there were other performances in
Britain in that Golden Jubilee year.
The text of the Te Deum Laudamus is one of the great
hymns of the early Latin church. Tradition has it that
when Saint Ambrose baptized Saint Augustine the two of
them spontaneously improvised the hymn in responsory
verse. Whether or not that is so, its triumphant tone
guaranteed its survival over the centuries. It came to
represent great and royal themes, like prayers for the
monarchâ??s birthday, or thanksgiving for victory in
war.
Prince Albert died in 1861 at the age of only 42,
leaving the Queen heart-broken. Twenty years later, in
1882, W.G. Cusins, Master of the Queenâ??s Musick, and
Queen Victoriaâ??s private organist, published a
collected edition of the Princeâ??s musical
compositions. This included the Te Deum and other
liturgical music by the Prince. Cusins had known the
Prince well, so the edition carries some authority.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_Te_Deum)
Although originally composed for Chorus (SATB) & Organ,
I created this arrangement of "Te Deum Laudamus" for
Winds (Flute, Oboe, French Horn & Bassoon) & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
