Wake Of Liberty Supplements: Coronation Masses – Windows To A Bygone Era
Back in the day when kings and supreme rulers ruled France, they used to hold spectacular ceremonies to mark the occasion of their coronation. Here is King Louis XVI’s coronation mass, composed by François Giroust. It is a small window into the sound and feel of a society of a bygone era.
And here is Napoleon Bonaparte’s coronation mass, composed by Jean-François Lesueur. It is a more modern and imperious tune than its regal predecessor, testament to the most enduring change in history: the changing of the guard.
Last chapter of Wake of Liberty: Long Live the King
[...] and its unquenchable thirst for entertainment, not to mention its much-advertised refinement and splendor. We have heard everything there is to hear about it, and I am not in the mood for any more of [...]