In 1710, George Fredrick Handel was appointed Kapellmeister to Georg Ludwig, the Elector of Saxony. Georg was very fond of the opera, although Hanover had no opera company. So, Handel took an immediate leave of absence from Hanover to London and was well received by Queen Anne. Over the next few years, Handel traveled back and forth between London and Hanover until he finally freed himself from his obligations in Germany. Ironically, upon Queen Anne's death, Georg Ludwig became King George I of England and Handel was reunited with his former superior. Handel continued to serve George I writing many operatic, instrumental, and ceremonial pieces until the king's death in 1727.
             Handel was in charge of music for the coronation of King George II. The ceremony required almost two hours of music, so Handel used some traditional and original pieces. One of his original works, which took place during the anointment right after the prayer, was Zadok The Priest.
             The piece begins with an instrumental introduction from mm. 1-22. The initial tempo is rather slow, although constant 8ths in the bass and 16ths in the strings give a sense of motion.
             The introduction continues to build with the bass line descending in a stepwise motion although the actual dynamic doesn't change until m. 21. The purpose behind this is to let the listener know that something wonderful is about to happen. Finally, in m. 23, the brass and choir enter in a very majestic fashion singing "Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon King."
             The purpose of anointing the king by a "man of God" was to show that it was God's will that this man becomes king. A brass fanfare rings out when the choir enters giving the section a truly majestic quality.
             Now that the new king has been selected by God and anointed, it is time for celebration. The meter changes to a faster three in m. 31. "And the ...