The men of the Schola Cantorum (left rear, in plumed hats) watched carefully for their cue. They had practiced long and hard for this coronation service and were feeling well prepared. Things first went awry when the archbishop began the intonation on the wrong pitch and a couple of the tenors followed. Others stuck with the pitch they thought had been given earlier, though not all were in accord about it. By the time they were six bars into the anthem, nearly every singer was in a unique key and, in an attempt to lead the others back into the “correct” tonality they sang forth boldly. The loudly polytonal version of Orlando di Lasso’s piece which followed came as a rather startling revelation to the knowledgable listeners in the congregation. The less knowledgable tried not to giggle.
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