Parry wrote two works—the hymn God of All Created Things and the anthem I Was Glad—for the 1902 coronation of Edward VII, both of which reflect the solemnity and grandeur of the occasion. I Was Glad, one of Parry's most successful works for chorus and orchestra, has been performed for the entrance of the monarch at every coronation since. The text, from Psalm 122, interpolates a "Vivat" section in which the new monarch is praised and glorified by name. Although the harmonic language of Parry's setting is unmistakably steeped in late Romanticism, it is also clear that the composer was an heir to the tradition of Henry Purcell. Indeed, a comparison of Parry's work with Purcell's setting of this same text (for the coronation of James II in 1685) reveals striking rhythmic and harmonic similarities; still, the intense, profound emotion that pervades the mood of the later composer's effort reflects a significant modernization of the English choral tradition.

© Bonnie Fleming, Rovi