Elgar, Pomp and Circunstance, March 1

His Majesty Edward VII, by the grace of God, King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the seas, defender of the faith, and emperor of India, earned that title the same day his mother, Queen Victoria, died, on January 22, 1901, after having been heir for 59 years, two months and thirteen days. For his coronation he had, likewise, to wait. It was not until August 9, 1902, that Edward ascended the throne in Westminster Abbey, where a melody composed the previous year and adapted for the occasion could have been heard if the king had not gone ill before.

The composer
The melody was the central part of a march composed by Edward Elgar, an English composer born in 1857 who had only gained fame and recognition at the age of 42, after the publication of his masterpiece, the Enigma Variations of 1899.

Having thus overcome a long period of low self-esteem, by 1901 he composed a pair of marches which on the day of their premiere were very acclaimed, the first of them being encored twice. The central section of March No. 1, the trio, would be included in the Ode composed by Elgar in 1902 for Edward's coronation, with the title Land of Hope and Glory.

Sir Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)

One march after another
The enthusiasm arose and in 1905 Elgar wrote a third march, in 1907 a fourth and, finally, a fifth, a little later, in 1930. The series was entitled Pomp and Circumstance, words taken from some lines of Shakespeare's Othello, although only the first march has ended up being known by that name.

March No. 1 - trio

From then until today, March No. 1 is part of the graduation ceremonies of institutes of higher education in much of the Western world. It is considered a second British anthem and closes the Proms every year. Its central section, the aforementioned trio, is one of the most popular melodies in the history of music.

The recording is by Orquesta y Coros de la Radio Televisión Española, conducted by Maestro Enrique García Ascencio (The choir sings the trio again at 5:04).