Orb and Sceptre Ball for organ by Sir William McKie, and in 2014 for Concert Band by Paul Noble. Orb and Sceptre Orb and Sceptre is a march for orchestra written by Sir William Walton for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Influenced largely by Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance Marches" 1 and 4, it begins in the key of E major with bright trumpet fanfares before leaping into the famous march section, heavily syncopated and brightly orchestrated. This section moves briefly through C major before returning to E. As with "Crown Imperial", written by Walton in 1936 for the
Pomp and Circumstance Marches that year. The tune soon became "de rigueur" at American graduations, used primarily as a processional at the opening of the ceremony. March No. 1 opens with an introduction marked "Allegro, con molto fuoco." The introduction leads to a new theme: strong pairs of beats alternating with short notes, and a bass which persistently clashes with the tune. The bass tuba and full brass is held back until the section is repeated by the full orchestra. A little rhythmic pattern is played by the strings, then repeated high and low in the orchestra before the section is concluded by a