Catherine Mentiplay (contralto)
A pageant of his arrival and reception in Edinburgh and his Coronation in the Chapel Royal of Holyrood, June 18, 1633
Compiled, mainly from the Annals of Scotland of Sir James Balfour of Kinnaird, Lyon King of Arms by James Fergusson
Produced by Andrew Stewart
Persons represented:
Charles, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland
George, Earl of Kinnoull, Lord Chancellor of Scotland
Sir James Balfour of Kinnaird, Lyon King of Arms
John Spottiswoode, Archbishop of Saint Andrews
The Earls of Wemyss, Cassilis, and Stirling
Lord Dalkeith, Lord Binning, Lord Seton
The Town Clerks of Edinburgh and Dalkeith
William Drummond of Hawthornden
Nobles and Spectators
Choir of the Chapel Royal
A Burgess of Edinburgh
His son
A Herald
A woman representing Caledonia
Taking part: David Steuart, C.R.M. Brookes, Douglas Allan, Daniel MacArthur, Bruce Morgan, Adam Shepherd, George Davies, Harold Goring, George Summers, Alastair Macintyre, Charles Watson, Annis Hole, James McKechnie, William Crichton, and Robert Jarvis
The BBC Scottish Singers
The BBC Scottish Orchestra
Conducted by Kemlo Stephen
The arrival of King Charles I in Edinburgh on June 15, 1633, for his coronation in the Abbey of Holyrood on June 18, was one of the most splendid spectacles ever witnessed in Scotland. The King spent more than a month in his northern kingdom, visiting Edinburgh, Dalkeith, Linlithgow, Stirling, Dunfermline, Falkland, and Perth. His reception at Edinburgh was peculiarly magnificent, 'with staitly triumphall arches, obeliskes, pictures, artificiall mountains, adorned with choysse musicke, and diversse other costly shewes'. Occasional incidents, such as the quarrels of some of the nobles over questions of precedence, interrupted the King's progress; and the King was nearly drowned in a sudden storm while returning over the Forth from Falkland; but, in general, Scotland enjoyed, in the words of Sir James Balfour of Kinnaird, Lord Lyon King of Arms, 'the most glorious and magnifique coronatione that ever was seene in this kingdome'.
The Lyon left a full record of the proceedings, and it is from this unique background that James Fergusson has compiled tonight's programme. Unfortunately, the actual music used has been lost. Tonight's music has been arranged or composed by Ian Whyte with the assistance, in research, of Harry M. Willsher.
