Did Sussex's Dame Vera Lynn Bring "Land Of Hope And Glory" Back To The Proms?

Wednesday, 2 September 2020 13:30

By John Warburton @Warblefly

Ditchling's Dame Vera Lynn (historic 7" single record cover)

In a change of heart, "Land of Hope and Glory" and "Rule! Britannia" WILL be sung at this year's "Last Night Of The Proms".

The BBC, which organises the annual concert series, had earlier said that the sung versions of the two popular pieces would be replaced by purely instrumental arrangements.

In the great controversy that followed this decision, fans of the songs bought former Ditchling resident Dame Vera Lynn's version of "Land Of Hope And Glory", which soon topped the Amazon Singles' Chart.

The choice to exclude singing in the Royal Albert Hall came about in the context of Covid restrictions making audience participation impossible, and due to the unsafe nature of large-scale choral singing.

There was also an earlier controversy, which has raged for many years, about some interpretations of the lyrics pointing to former abuses of power, overseas, by Britain.

But, soon after mid-day today (September 2), it emerged that BBC staff running the Proms programme had changed their minds.

As coronavirus restrictions have eased, musical directors, safety officials and scientists (including at the Sussex opera house Glyndebourne) have been discovering ways to permit singing ensembles of limited sizes.

This now includes the BBC Singers, a small professional choral group, who are to perform the sung versions of the Proms classics.

The BBC said:

"Both pieces will now include a select group of BBC Singers.

"This means the words will be sung in the Royal Albert Hall, and as we have always made clear, audiences will be free to sing along at home.

"While it can’t be a full choir, and we are unable to have audiences in the Hall, we are doing everything possible to make it special and want a Last Night truly to remember.

"We hope everyone will welcome this solution.

"We think the night itself will be a very special moment for the country - and one that is much needed after a difficult period for everyone."

"Land Of Hope And Glory" as we know it today was originally a longer orchestral piece, without any words, and composed in 1901.

They were added in 1902, by the poet A.C. Benson, to the slow melody of the "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1" by English composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934), who lived for a time in Fittleworth in West Sussex, now available as an "Air B'n'B" rental.

The song itself was intended to be performed as a completely separate piece (a Coronation Ode for King Edward VII), not as part of the original orchestral March, which begins with a lively section, not at all suitable for singing.

But with the stirring orchestral March finding its place in the Proms concerts in the early years of the 20th century, audiences soon enthusiastically joined the performances, using the words of the Coronation Ode's chorus which had separately become familiar to them.