大不列顛的精神領袖英女王伊莉莎白二世（Elizabeth II, 1926-）在1953 年6 月2 日舉行正式加冕儀式，當時社會氛圍充滿對不列顛帝國文化復興的渴望與期待，學者 稱為「新伊莉莎白時代」的來臨。英國二十世紀現代作曲家布瑞頓勳爵（Lord Benjamin Britten, 1913-1976）為女王加冕典禮創作了歌劇作品《榮耀女王》（Gloriana, op 53, 1953），1953 年6 月8 日首演時，觀眾的反應卻是十分冷淡。 布瑞頓與劇作家普洛默（William Plomer, 1903-1973）以伊莉莎白一世的歷史軼事 為腳本，歌曲的文字意涵搭配音樂的動機形式，表現女王角色的三種對比內涵，對照 伊莉莎白二世所承接的現實環境。音樂上，布瑞頓應用了「文藝復興」的素材與現代 音樂複調性的手法結合，使得傳統得以「再生」，並運用現代劇場跳脫時空的非線性 時間之鋪陳手法。 《榮耀女王》以「創造傳統」的概念，將傳統的歌劇形式與現代主義的衝突性巧 妙融合，寫實主義描繪的「英格蘭特質」與戰後「新伊莉莎白主義」的思維連結，布 瑞頓與普洛默以左翼的社會主義路線詮釋文化復興與緬懷傳統的關聯，形成英格蘭歌 劇的一個新方向。如今，這部加冕歌劇已重新獲得世界樂壇肯定，一如創作者的預見， 延續了英格蘭的豐富文化資產。

Queen Elizabeth II, as the spiritual leader of Great Britain, held an official coronation ceremony in June 2, 1953, when the social atmosphere is full of desire and expectations of the cultural renaissance for the splendour of British Empire, the period is also known as the “new Elizabethan age”. Lord Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), British contemporary music composer, created the opera “Gloriana” (op 53, 1953) for the coronation of the Queen and premiered on June 8, 1953, however, the opera drew little public enthusiasm in the first night. Britten and the librettist William Plomer (1903-1973) adopted the anecdotes of Queen Elizabeth I for the script. The motive of music corresponded with the meaning of the lyrics which exhibited the character of Queen Elizabeth I in three contrasting connotations in contrast with the realistic social environment Queen Elizabeth II undertook. In terms of the music, Britten applied the material of “Renaissance” with modern polyphonic combination, to promote the traditional “regeneration”, and used the nonlinear concept of time in modern theater. “Gloriana” combines the traditional opera forms with modernism by the concept of “creating tradition”. He combined the ideology of the “Englishness” portrayed by realism and the post-war “New Elizabethanism”. Understanding the relationship between Renaissance and the Leftwing socialists is necessary to the interpretation of the cultural revival and the recollection of English tradition so as to form a new orientation of English opera. Today, the coronation opera has been reaffirmed in the world of music, as the composer foresees the continuation of validation of cultural heritage in England.