Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon king.
And all the people rejoiced and said:
God save the King! Long live the King! God save the King!
May the King live for ever. Amen. Hallelujah.​

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The anthem Zadok the Priest, the words of which (from the first Book of Kings) has been sung at every coronation since King Edgar's in 973. Handel wrote Zadok the Priest in 1727 for the coronation of King George II. Since then, Handel's Zadok has been sung at every British coronation, most recently that of King Charles III, 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey.

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In the celebratory key of D major, it is scored for SS-AA-T-BB chorus and orchestra—2 oboes, 2 bassoons, 3 trumpets, timpani, strings with 3 violin parts, and continuo.

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The first of three sections is the introduction that unfolds in quiet almost static chords,with the broken chords unfolding in the first and second violin parts, the lower strings and winds providing gentle ongoing eighth note ostinato.  A surprising forte choir, trumpets and timpani entrance, announces "Zadok".

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The middle section, a dance form in ¾ time, has the choir singing, "And all the people rejoic'd." Dotted rhythms, the Baroque device to suggest regal grandeur and pomp, permeate the upper string writing.

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The final section, beginning with, "God save the King", returns to the sturdy common time (4/4) of the opening. Sixteenth runs occur in all of six voice parts (SAATBB); the other parts punctuating the bubbling with eighth note chords. "God save the King" injunctions are interspersed with "amens" and "alleljuias". The piece ends on a grand and dignified plagal cadence.

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Football fans will recognize Zadok as the basis of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League Anthem.