After the weekend's post highlighting what might "shock" an American visitng the UK, for Music Monday drawing the "cousins" together, is something that shocked me in my early years in the USA.
In the UK, one of Sir Edward Elgar's famous pieces Pomp & Circumstance March has lyrics added to produce a patriotic song, Land of Hope & Glory. The same piece of music, without lyrics, is used universally in the USA as accompaniment when students walk their graduation walk across a high school or college stage. This fact shocked me to the core when, years ago, I attended the graduation of one of husband's grandsons!
My full blog post, from 2014, about Sir Edward Elgar and his music, is HERE.
So...
Patriotic songs from both sides of the Atlantic do bring on the cringes for me. It's not often that dear Vera Lynn is cringe-worthy, but here she inches a little nearer to it! I much prefer her singing White Cliffs of Dover- a hopeful song from World War 2.
In the UK, one of Sir Edward Elgar's famous pieces Pomp & Circumstance March has lyrics added to produce a patriotic song, Land of Hope & Glory. The same piece of music, without lyrics, is used universally in the USA as accompaniment when students walk their graduation walk across a high school or college stage. This fact shocked me to the core when, years ago, I attended the graduation of one of husband's grandsons!
My full blog post, from 2014, about Sir Edward Elgar and his music, is HERE.
So...
Patriotic songs from both sides of the Atlantic do bring on the cringes for me. It's not often that dear Vera Lynn is cringe-worthy, but here she inches a little nearer to it! I much prefer her singing White Cliffs of Dover- a hopeful song from World War 2.
