British composer Tony Britten was asked by UEFA in 1992 to compose theme music especially for the Champions League, and little did he know then that it would soon become one of the most widely recognised pieces of music around the world with people knowing the anthem immediately after just a couple of seconds.
In order to compose the football/soccer anthem Britten adapted George Frideric Handel’s Zadock the Priest written using text from the King James Bible it was used first in 1727 during the coronation of King George the II of Great Britain, and has been sung at every subsequent coronation of a British Monarch.
Britten’s version is performed by the London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields Choir with the chorus sung using all three of UEFA’s official languages English, French and German.
A new rendition of the anthem has now been done by Irish musician Paul Quinn using only an acoustic guitar with the man from Ennis, in County Clare playing all the parts.
Please let us know if you like Paul’s rendition in the comments section, and if you do share it with your friends.
