Crown Imperial

The march opens with a broad, striding theme in the brass, announced almost like a fanfare before the full orchestra joins in. Walton builds the opening material through repeated surges, each one adding more weight from the low brass and percussion, so the music feels like it keeps arriving rather than simply continuing.

A contrasting middle section slows the pace and turns lyrical, with strings carrying a broader, more songful melody. This is the moment many listeners remember first: the mood shifts from public ceremony to something warmer and more inward, before the brass gradually re-enter underneath it.

The opening march material then returns, but Walton does not simply repeat it. He thickens the orchestration and raises the volume step by step, adding cymbals and full brass until the work reaches a final, broad statement of the main tune at maximum volume. The piece ends abruptly on a firm, decisive chord rather than fading away, leaving the impression of a grand public occasion coming to a close.

Walton composed Crown Imperial in 1937 on commission for the coronation of King George VI, following the abdication of Edward VIII. The title comes from a line in Spenser's "The Faerie Queene." It was first performed at Westminster Abbey during the coronation ceremony in London in 1937, broadcast to a wide public audience. The march's success led to further ceremonial commissions for Walton, including Orb and Sceptre for the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953. Crown Imperial quickly became a fixture of British state and civic occasions, performed at weddings, jubilees, and other formal events, and it has remained a popular concert opener on both sides of the Atlantic for orchestras wanting a short, festive curtain-raiser.