I was glad


'I was glad' is an English text drawn from selected verses of Psalm 122. It has been used at Westminster Abbey in the coronation ceremonies of British monarchs since those of King Charles I in 1626.

Text

The text accompanies the monarch's entrance into Westminster Abbey and was formalised in the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.
  1. I was glad when they said unto me : We will go into the house of the Lord.
  2. Our feet shall stand in thy gates : O Jerusalem.
  3. Jerusalem is built as a city : that is at unity in itself.
  4. For thither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord : to testify unto Israel, to give thanks unto the Name of the Lord.
  5. For there is the seat of judgement : even the seat of the house of David.
  6. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that love thee.
  7. Peace be within thy walls : and plenteousness within thy palaces.
  8. For my brethren and companions' sakes : I will wish thee prosperity.
  9. Yea, because of the house of the Lord our God : I will seek to do thee good.
The selected verses form a prayer for the peace and prosperity of Jerusalem, and its use in the coronation service clearly draws a parallel between Jerusalem and the United Kingdom.

'Vivat" interpolation

Since the Coronation of [James II and VII and Mary|coronation of King James II] in 1685 an additional non-biblical text is added to the psalm verses used in the Westminster Abbey ceremonies, i.e. the acclamation "Vivat Rex... " or "Vivat Regina... ".
By tradition this acclamation is made by King's or Queen's Scholars of Westminster School as the Sovereign passes through the Quire of Westminster Abbey.

"Vivat" pronunciation

The acclamation uses a variant of standard Latin pronunciation known as Anglicised Latin. Scholars of Classical Latin would pronounce the Vivat Regina as ; those of Ecclesiastical Latin would pronounce it. The traditional English pronunciation when referring to the British monarch is. At the coronation of both a king and a queen, the vivat for the queen precedes that for the king.

Musical settings at British coronations

Setting by Hubert Parry: