HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Prince Philip's funeral: Who is James Vivian and four-member choir? Here's the music selected by Duke of Edinburgh

The choir was conducted by James Vivian. Three out of four of the choir members are Lay Clerks of St George’s Chapel Choir

The Royal Family bid farewell to Prince Philip on April 17, 2021 and the world was awestruck by the magic of the choir. Carefully selected by the Duke of Edinburgh, the music was sung by just four people amid the coronavirus pandemic restrictions. At the moment, congregational singing is not allowed in any place of public worship in England and those rules were closely followed.

The choir was conducted by James Vivian. Three out of four of the choir members are Lay Clerks of St George’s Chapel Choir. The organ was being played by Luke Bond. Instead of the 800 mourners, only 30 will be allowed to attend the ceremony. 

RELATED ARTICLES

Queen shares her favorite photo with Prince Philip: A look at 10 unforgettable moments of the couple in pictures

Prince Philip funeral: Air time, how to live stream, date, time and where to watch Duke of Edinburgh's last rites

Who is James Vivian?

The organist and director of music at St George's Chapel, James Vivian is key to providing music at Royal occasions including the marriage of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the marriage of Princess Eugenie and Mr Jack Brooksbank.

Vivian studied as a Music Scholar at Malvern College. From 1992 to 1993, he was acting-Assistant Organist of Lincoln Cathedral and then went to Organ Scholar of King's College, Cambridge. A prizewinner in the FRCO diploma, he studied the organ with Dr John Bishop, David Sanger, Philip Marshall, Colin Walsh and was awarded a scholarship to study with Marie-Louise Langlais in Paris. 

From 2006 until 2013, he was Director of Music of the historic Temple Church in London and has recorded on labels like Decca, EMI, Universal, SonyBMG, Hyperion Records, Signum and Priory. He is married to the concert organist, Ann Elise Smoot.

What did the choir sing at Prince Philip's funeral?

Here's the full list of songs:

The Sentences, set to music by English composer William Croft, William Croft (1678-1727)
Eternal Father, Strong To Save (Melita), by JB Dykes (1823-76) William Whiting (1825-78), Arranged by James Vivian (b. 1974)5
The Jubilate, Benjamin Britten (1913-76), Written for St George’s Chapel, Windsor at the request of The Duke of Edinburgh
Psalm 104. The Duke of Edinburgh requested that Psalm 104 should be set to music by William Lovelady (b. 1945) abridged and arranged for choir and organ by James Vivian (b. 1974) with the composer’s permission. Words from Psalm 104, adapted by Sam Dyer (b. 1945)
The Lesser Litany, William Smith (1603-45), adapted by Roger Judd, MVO (b. 1944)
The Lord’s Prayer, Music by Robert Stone (1516-1613) from John Day’s Certaine Notes 1565
Russian Kontakion of the Departed. Translated William John Birkbeck (1859-1916). Kiev Melody, arranged by Sir Walter Parratt, KCVO (1841-1924)

The ceremony will end with the National Anthem, again sung by the four lone voices of the choir.

Social media was buzzing with compliments for the choir. "Although it’s just 4 how effective and beautiful was that choir," one tweet read and another said, "“Eternal Father, strong to save...” Amazing that the choir is only 4 members. Beautiful." A third chimed in, "Without question, the four member choir is the hit of the Prince Philip Funeral. They could tour clubs!" Another added, "Just want to give the Queen a hug right now. So sad for her. Choir of 4 doing an amazing job."