Concert Opener

Dieu et Mon Droit (God and My Right) is a concert opener written to honour the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of the new regent, King Charles III. The title is the motto of the British monarchy, appearing on the Royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom.

The French saying implies that the monarch has a divine right to rule over the United Kingdom.

The piece opens with a triumphant fanfare. After a short transition, the music becomes more solemn and melodic in style with sudden bursts of energy. In order to represent the challenges faced by the British monarchy, the piece gradually builds to a victorious style and then becomes playful with a growing dark undertone, once again with sudden bursts of energy.

The heroic motif returns, building to an anticlimax, before drastically changing style to a light repeated ostinato with elements of the opening motifs returning. This ostinato builds to the grand moment of the piece; the culmination of both the energetic bursts and solemn melodic lines, in a much more joyous and ferocious manner.
After a final resurgence of the heroic motif across the ensemble, the piece concludes with the energetic motif, signalling new beginnings with the upcoming coronation.

Duration: 5 Minutes

Difficulty: 4/6

Score Transposed