The dethroning of George the Second

George II

Today, Monday 25th October the nation remembers that it is 250 years since King George II was dethroned by dying on the throne in his WC. It is not what he would have wished to be remembered for a quarter of a millennium after his death, for he also spoke six languages, and was the last British monarch to lead his troops into battle. That was during the War of the Austrian Succession, at Dettingen in Bavaria in 1743, an eventful year for the king. A few months earlier he had been present at the inaugural London performance of Handel's Messiah.

The first London performance of Messiah from G.F. Handel took place on 23 March 1743, in the presence of King George II. When the first notes of the now famous Hallelujah chorus resounded, the King rose to his feet and remained standing for the duration of the piece. This may have been a gesture of recognition, demonstrating that his earthly kingship was subservient to the King of Kings. As no one could remain sitting whilst the King stood, the entire audience stood and stayed standing for the duration of the piece. It has since become tradition for audiences to stand for the Hallelujah Chorus. This is frequently observed even if there are no royalty present.

Handel's Messiah (HWV 56) was first performed in the "Antient Musik Hall" in Fishamble Street, Dublin in a gala in aid of the Foundling Hospital. This is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel based on a libretto by Charles Jennens. Composed in the summer of 1741 and premiered in Dublin on the 13 April 1742, Messiah is Handel's most famous creation and is among the most popular works in Western choral literature.


The "Antient Musik Hall" in Fishamble Street, Dublin where Messiah was premiered on the 13 April 1742

On the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI to London I noticed as he entered Westminster Abbey that the inscription above the doorway commemorates the rebuilding of the west towers in 1745 in the reign of “Georg II.” The good King of Hanover cannot have been overly religious for Henrietta Howard, Countess of Suffolk, was one of his many mistresses whom he established in some splendour at Marble Hill House in Twickenham. George II lost his Queen, Caroline, who died on 20 November 1737. Reputedly, when she asked her husband to remarry when she passed on, he replied, "Non, j'aurai des maîtresses!" (French for "No, I shall have mistresses!"). Reputedly, she replied "Ah, mon Dieu, cela n'empeche pas." ("My God, that doesn't prevent it.")

This is the King who famously quarrelled with his own father and banished his son, Frederick Prince of Wales from court and was succeeded by his grandson, George III. He left a long footprint and Handel composed his Coronation Anthem for him including Zadok the Priest which makes the understated claim that he is in a line of divinely anointed kingship from King Solomon. The opera Alfred was written to promote the claim of his son Frederick to the throne to combat the “great danger.” The opera is long forgotten but the overture “Rule Britannia” endures as a patriotic song and historians are united in not having a clue as to what the “great danger” was! Under his reign British rule was established in North America at the Battle of Quebec, in India with the victories of Robert Clive at the Battle of Arcot and the Battle of Plassey and in the Caribbean with the capture of Guadeloupe. French ambitions in Europe were crushed in 1759 at the Battle of Minden and British naval supremacy was established by the naval battles at Lagos and Quiberon Bay. It was also under his reign that his son The Duke of Cumberland, the “Butcher of Culloden”, in 1746 brought to an end “The 45” the Jacobite rising of Bonnie Prince Charlie which extinguished with considerable brutality the Stuart claim to the thrones of England and Scotland.


George II by Thomas Hudson

Georgia in America is named after him where he is also remembered in Academe for in 1754, King George issued the charter for King's College in New York City, which would later become Columbia University after the American Revolution.

On the morning of 25 October 1760, the King entered his royal necessarium at Kensington Palace, London, and, after a few minutes, his valet heard a loud crash. He found the King on the floor, but in the curiously old-fashioned phrasing of one of his biographers, Peter Guralnick, "It was certainly possible that he had been taken while straining at stool". So when Elvis Aaron Presley on August 16, 1977 expired during his “last movement” in the bathroom of his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, it seems he was merely impersonating the real King, George II.


Kensington Palace, London, seat of the Dethronement

Proms in the Park 2007

One of the great British institutions is The Proms, so called because they are a series of Classical Music Concerts where Promenaders, people who walk in, can get unreserved tickets on the night. Now days these concerts are run by the national broadcasting service, the BBC, and are still open to Promenaders who can walk in on the night to the main venue, the magnificent Royal Albert Hall and the Cadogan Hall which is also used. The other unique feature of The Proms is the promenaders stand in the floor of the hall and their enthusiasm and eccentricity lends a very definite flavour to the proceedings.

The first Proms concert took place on 10 August 1895 and was the brainchild of the impresario Robert Newman, manager of the newly built Queen's Hall in London so this year is the 112th year of these highly democratic and entertaining concerts, over 100 in total in a two month season attracting some 275,000 in the audience and many more with television and radio broadcasts by the BBC of all the concerts. While Newman had previously organised symphony orchestra concerts at the hall, his aim was to reach a wider audience by offering more popular programmes, adopting a less formal promenade arrangement, and keeping ticket prices low. To lead the event he approached a conductor whose name has become synonymous with the Proms, Henry Wood. Born in 1869, Henry Wood had undergone a thorough musical training and, from his teens, began to make a name for himself as an organist, accompanist, vocal coach and conductor of choirs, orchestras and amateur opera companies.

It is Henry Wood’s inspiration which has defined the informality and eccentricity of the proceedings and lest we forget it his wooden bust decorated with a garland of honour presides over every Proms Concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Yet although the scope of the Proms has increased enormously since 1895, Henry Wood's concept for the season remains largely unaltered: to present the widest possible range of music, performed to the highest standards, to large audiences. The eccentricities are most apparent on the Last Night of the Proms where the audience are eccentrically attired, wave flags, engage in the customary accelerating clap-along to the hornpipe in Henry Wood's Sea Songs, whistling to See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes, humming to Home, Sweet Home, bob up and down during the Fantasia on British Sea Shanties by Henry Wood, boo Brunhilde when she attempts to sing Wagner (sadly, this has been dropped in recent years!), cheer uproariously when the conductor makes the traditional speech and then join in with extreme gusto in the grand finale as the everyone joins in Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem, Rule Britannia and God Save the Queen!


Tickets for the Last Night are at a premium so the event is extended by open air Proms in the Park Events in London, Wales, Scotland and a place some call, with considerable in exactitude, Northern Ireland (N.B. The most northern point of “Northern Ireland” is due south of the most northern point of “Southern Ireland” – A knowledge of geography can be a great handicap in life!). So that is how I came to find myself on Saturday 8th September in the congenial company of some 60,000 souls in Hyde Park being gently cooled by a zephyr from the North Pole as we enjoyed the last of the Great British Summer. Now in its twelfth year, Proms in the Park is one of London’s most popular events, where the world and its live in companion packs a picnic, and heads down to Hyde Park to become part of the climax to the world’s greatest music festival. As well as seeing a host of international musical stars playing live, you get to join the Last Night sing-along in a firework finale.

Will Young

For the £23 entrance you get a line up of over 6 hours of entertainment in a wonderful space in London’s great Royal Park with stalls, catering and good facilities. Most of all you get a great atmosphere as the spirit of the Proms permeates the crowd. The first half was a lightweight fest of popular music with Tony Hadley (late of Spandau Ballet), RyanDan, Chico and T- Rextasy. They were introduced by two “stars” of children’s TV, Dick and Dom. Suffice to say, in any other country their great talent would probably have gone unrecognised. Tony Hadley and his band delivered a solid crowd pleasing set of Spandau Oldies but the event went south somewhat when Chico came on. The rest of the world may be unaware of Chico but he is the contestant with undaunted confidence who didn’t win a televised Pop talent show with the catch phrase “It’s Chico Time!”. Chico, I’m afraid it still isn’t Chico Time! The hit were the T Rex tribute band T-Rextasy who got the crowd going with a foot stomping set of T Rex’s hits. The performer who was “Marc Bolan” was particularly convincing with no sign of a join at the neck. Will Young, the final performer, did win a TV talent show and has carved out a credible career since and finished off in good style.

After the flotsam of the first half we take a half hour break will the orchestra set up for the serious classical half before, by the magic of wide screen, we and the other Park Proms joined the unruly crowd in the Albert Hall for the grand finale.

Terry Wogan

My townsman Sir Terry Wogan hosted a charismatic line-up of musical talent, with this year’s programme headed by the wonderful English soprano Lesley Garrett, Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez (King of the high D’s) and Young Musician of the Year, clarinettist Mark Simpson. These were accompanied by Carl Davis and the BBC Concert Orchestra. I need to mention that whilst I am not a TOG (Terry’s Old Geezer’s) as listeners of his BBC radio programme are called, I nonetheless have a considerable soft spot for Terry Wogan as his family were neighbours of my folks (His mum Rose was a lovely person) and he has the great achievement, which he repeats each year, of making the dross known as the Eurovision Song Contest watch able by refusing to take it seriously. He was on good form tonight remarking that the somewhat Wurzel Gummidge visage of Carl Davis is often mistaken for George Clooney (“He tells women he is George Clooney and they tell him he is mistaken”) and that at 18, Mark Simpson was at a difficult age “ too young to buy alcohol and too old to date Demi Moore.”


Lesley Garrett


Carl Davis

Juan Diego Florez is a great talent and my personal favourite was his medley of Latin songs and Mark Simpson has a great future, ending with a crowd pleasing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.

The great star must be the irrepressible Lesley Garrett, I know grown men who never recovered from seeing her many years ago momentarily, and tastefully, baring her bottom, when she brought the house down as Adele in Richard Jones 1988 production of Die Fledermaus. She is a talented Diva who is in no way grand whose key phrase is "opera is full of passion - and passion is part of all our lives." Boy, does she practice what she preaches and for her finale she came out in a Union Jack “Frock” and led the crowd in a rousing rendition of “You’ll never walk alone” from Carousel. She also paid tribute to Luciano Pavarotti on this, the day of his funeral in Modena by singing Mimi’s farewell to Rodolfo from “La Boheme”. Rodolfo was the operatic part that Pavarotti first found fame with and the tribute was poignant as this was the same spot where, in 1993 Pavarotti gave a performance to a crowd of 150,000 in the rain, including Charles and Diana. Addio Maestro!


Then over to the Albert Hall to join in the rousing finale in all its Hope and Glory followed by a backdrop of a fine firework display lighting up the London skyline and framing the stage in glorious colour. Tired and happy we wended our weary way home. For visitor or native the Proms are a great experience and if you find yourself in this great city for the Last Night in early September each year treat you and yours to this fabulous feast of musical riches and atmosphere.

Juan Diego Florez performing Ella mi fu rapita (from Verdi's Rigoletto) at the 2007 Last Night of the Proms from Hyde Park.