May 21, 2022 - Good Morning! It’s Saturday, May 21.
At this time of year, every year, a particular piece of classical music is heard all across America. This music, perhaps, has been publicly played more than any other piece in the history of music. It’s called, of course, “Elgar’s March in D, Land of Hope and Glory.”
What? That title doesn’t ring a bell? Maybe you know it by a different name - “Pomp and Circumstance.” Once again this year, graduates will walk to this stately tune as they accept their diplomas. This happened for the first time in 1905, at the graduation ceremony of Yale University. That year, Yale was presenting an honorary doctorate to the British composer Edward Elgar, and included one of his compositions in the event. And the rest is history.
Elgar, a practicing Catholic in a largely Protestant country, was a bold believer and wrote many religious works. But it is this moving march that has become his lasting legacy. When he was writing it, he said to his wife, “I’ve got a new tune that will knock them flat!” And “Pomp and Circumstances” has been stirring our souls ever since.
To all our graduates - congratulations and march on!
Meet you back here on Monday,
Bro. David
dmathis@fbccenter.org
