How a British military march became the distinctive sound of American graduation ceremonies

Every yr at graduation ceremonies across the United States, there are some familiar sounds: the passionate cheers of friends and families, the majesty of speeches, and, after all, a recognizable tune.

Most Americans – in the event that they know the name in any respect – comprehend it simply as “Pomp and Circumstance.”

More precisely, it’s “trio” section of probably the most famous of Edward Elgar’s five Pomp and Circumstance marches, “March No. 1 in D major.”

When Elgar composed the piece in 1901, he was not fascinated by a level or a scholarship. He wrote it as a patriotic military march.

The phrase “pomp and circumstance” has its origins in Shakespeare’s “Othello“, where Othello uses it when speaking of the fascination of the “spirit-awakening drum” of the “Glorious War.”

In Britain, the tune still evokes the confident grandeur of an empire at its peak – just a number of years before the First World War shattered that confidence. The tune soon acquired a unique association in America, where it had develop into a staple at graduation ceremonies by the Twenties.

The unbridled optimism of the empire

The undeniable fact that a British military march is being reinvented as a closing tune – by a former British colonial ruler – shows how people may give entirely latest meanings to old songs.

Elgar achieved widespread recognition within the Eighteen Nineties with works equivalent to The Black Knight and King Olaf. At the time of The death of Queen Victoria in 1901According to biographer Basil Maine, Elgar was the best musician within the country.

The premiere of “March No. 1” launched him into an excellent greater stratosphere of fame. Music critics and audiences considered it certainly one of Elgar's finest pieces due to its stately, soaring majesty.

The latest King of Britain, Edward VII, was amongst those that heaped praise on the tune, and he persuaded Elgar to incorporate it in a for much longer ode that Elgar composed for it Royal coronation.

Essayist and critic AC Benson wrote lyrics for the performance of Elgar's tune on the coronation, leading to the patriotic hymn “Land of hope and glory.”

The British audience is acquainted with this type of “March No. 1” is best known. Along with “Jerusalem” and “I Vow to Thee, My Country” “Land of hope and glory“is, together with the national anthem, one of the famous British patriotic songs. The PromsA series of popular summer live shows in Britain that began in 1895 traditionally features “Land of Hope and Glory” in the ultimate concert of the yr.

Perhaps no piece of music higher suits the mood of pre-First World War Britain. As a connoisseur of this era, I cannot help but notice the unbridled boldness of the play, the ringing confidence that Britain is and all the time can be probably the most powerful and influential country on this planet.

Of course, this stability wouldn’t last. The devastation of the First World War destroyed this fantasy and signaled the start of its declining importance in world affairs. Several a long time later, the Second World War and its consequences led to quick resolution of the British Empire.

Now, within the twenty first century, the tune evokes nostalgia for a vanished golden age. But the lyrics of “Land of Hope and Glory” have also caused controversy for his or her promotion of imperialism and expansionism – “their limits should continue to be set.”

A farewell worthy of a king

Unlike British audiences, Americans didn’t associate the song with an imperial past; They have been celebrating the long run with this for over a century.

The tune's connection to the degree began in 1905, when Elgar received an honorary doctorate from Yale. At the tip of the ceremony the School orchestra played “March No. 1” to honor him.

This began a trend amongst probably the most renowned universities. Princeton first played the song in 1907, followed by the University of Chicago in 1908 and Columbia in 1913.

The song spread organically on account of increasing distribution Connecting the nation. Thanks to the railroad, the telegraph, and advances in printing technology, news and folks were capable of spread quickly.

In lower than 20 years, “March No. 1” from an Ivy League novelty to a widely accepted musical standard for top school and college graduation.

Why did it catch on so quickly? I’d say that the combo of optimism and grandeur – with a touch of wistfulness – resonated.

It's a fitting farewell for a student entering a brand new phase of life – one worthy of a king.