Land of Hope and Glory - BBC Symphony

'Pomp & Circumstance' composed by Edward Elgar.
Performed by the BBC Symphony, London, 2006.

Lyrics:

Land of Hope and Glory,
Mother of the Free,
How shall we extol thee,
Who are born of thee?
Wider still and wider,
Shall thy bounds be set;
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet!
God, who made thee mighty,
Make thee mightier yet.

'Pomp and Circumstance', composed in 1901, was first performed in the United States at the request of Yale's famous music school. It was used in Yale University's graduation ceremony in 1905 when Elgar received an honorary degree, and its use became an instant tradition at Yale. A few years later, the rest of the Ivy League followed suit, and then the rest of the country.

Today, it is played at almost every US university and high school graduation ceremony. The tune is universally recognized in the US, and widely known simply as the 'Graduation Song'.

In the UK, it is set to lyrics (partly written by Elgar himself) and known as 'Land of Hope and Glory'. It is the sporting anthem of England sung at sporting events, and many in England and throughout the rest of the UK know it by heart.

'Land of Hope and Glory' is a perennial favorite to replace 'God Save the Queen' as Britain's national anthem. The lyrics, however, refer to the expansion of the British Commonwealth during colonial times, and are not quite appropriate for contemporary consumption.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Land
• Hope
• Glory
• BBC
• Proms
• Pomp
• Circumstance