Edward Elgar (1857–1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Although he is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe.
Among his best-known compositions are orchestral works including the Enigma Variations, the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. He also composed choral works, chamber music and songs.
It is hard to believe that Elgar was mostly self-taught as a composer. His father could not afford to send him to the Leipzig Conservatory, which at the time was the place to study for fledgling composers from many nations.
Land of Hope and Glory is the trio of Elgar’s first Pomp and Circumstance march. It was used in the Coronation Ode for a gala concert to mark the coronation of Edward VII and Alexandra in 1902.
The publishers of the score recognised the potential of the vocal piece, now called Land of Hope and Glory, and asked Elgar to prepare it for publication as a separate song. It was soon immensely popular and is now considered an unofficial British national anthem.
The tune has become familiar to millions of television viewers all over the world watching the annual Last Night of the Proms concert in London’s Royal Albert Hall, where it is treated as a sing-along.
In the U.S. and elsewhere, Land of Hope and Glory is traditionally played as the processional tune at high school and college graduation ceremonies.
The present band arrangement by James Ord Hume was first published in 1914 as a Quick March, now being revised for modern wind bands. On old records Elgar played his Pomp and Circumstance Marches quite fast. Today, a more relaxed tempo is generally preferred.
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Edward Elgar (1857–1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Although he is often regarded as a typically English composer, most of his musical influences were not from England but from continental Europe.
