Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
Can Computers Replace Real Composers a.k.a Humans?
May 3, 2018
Does the conductor of a classical orchestra have a similar role as the CEO of a corporation?
May 3, 2018
How could anyone resist falling in love with a man who is dashingly handsome, composes songs, and sings like an angel? Prince Albert was all of those things, and Queen Victoria couldn’t resist his many charms and talents. I have been obsessed with their love story ever since I was a teenager. Not only are they fascinating as rulers, but their ties to music interest me as a musician. Both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were competent musicians and singers. Prince Albert was a proficient keyboardist who wrote many songs and choral pieces.
Music brought Queen Victoria and Prince Albert together. It was love at first sight when Queen Victoria fell for Prince Albert as he played the piano. After she proposed to Prince Albert, he sang her music that he had composed himself. The couple was married at the Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace on Monday, February 10th,1840. They had nine children together. While Prince Albert was alive, the couple was rumored to frequent the West End at least four times a week.
Friendship with Mendelssohn
Felix Mendelssohn was a good friend of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They first met in 1842. Felix was invited to play selections from his “Songs Without Words” after dinner at Buckingham Palace. Both the Queen and Prince were immensely impressed with Felix’s beautiful performance. In her tribute to Mendelssohn, the Queen said that he was “the greatest musical genius since Mozart” and “the most amiable man.” In addition to his achievements in music, Felix was also a painter, poet, athlete, and linguist.
One of Mendelssohn’s most famous compositions is his “Wedding March” written in 1843 for Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “Wedding March” was used as background music for the play. Out of her utmost admiration for Mendelssohn’s musical talent, Queen Victoria used “Wedding March” at the royal wedding of her eldest daughter, Victoria, to the Crown Prince of Prussia on January 15th, 1958. Ever since then, “Wedding March” has been widely used for wedding recessionals.
With the help of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s reign was nothing short of extraordinary. The powerful pair adored and championed the arts and music, and the love story between the two of them is one of the most unforgettably romantic stories of all time. Together they had the power, wealth, and respect of the rest of the world. However, their intense and passionate love for each other was more priceless than their riches.
