There could be no greater tribute to Queen Elizabeth II than the exquisite singing of service music by the choirs at the funeral and burial, hymns from the splendid Anglican choral repertoire: both the familiar—” My Soul, There is a Country” and “O taste and see” by Vaughan Williams; and the lesser known—Judith Weir’s adaptation of the beautiful words of Psalm 42 and the powerful “Who Shall Divide Us?” by James MacMillan, composed 10 years ago for this service and performed for the first time.
The unison singing of the boys sopranos was so perfectly blended that they sounded like a single voice. How fortunate we are to have institutions that continue to uphold the highest standards for the performance of sacred music (“Queen’s Funeral Music Revealed Truths About Her and All of Us,” Opinion, September 20) .
The buglers also played together – their fanfare followed by two minutes of complete stillness in this large space, and matched by the respectful silence of the crowd waiting outside.
Unforgettable were the haunting melodies the Queen’s piper played – one at Westminster and the other at Windsor – as he turned and left those gathered for the last time, his notes fading in the distance . After playing queen every morning as she greeted the new day, it was a fitting and loving farewell.
Margaret McGirr
Greenwich, Connecticut, USA
