The Pomp and Circumstance Marches, op. 39 are a series of five Marches for orchestra composed by Edward Elgar.

The title is taken from Act III of Othello: "Farewell the neighing steed, and the shrill trump,/ The spirit-stirring drum, the ear-piercing fife,/ The royal banner, and all quality,/ Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!". The best known is the Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1, and in most musical contexts Pomp and Circumstance refers to this one alone. It had its premiere in London in October 1901, along with the more reserved No. 2, and the audience demanded two encores. In 1902 the tune was recycled, in modified form, for the "Land of Hope and Glory" section of his Coronation Ode for King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The words were further modified to fit the original tune, and the result has since become a fixture at the Last Night of the Proms, and an English sporting anthem.

The formula having proved successful, Elgar composed three more, performed in 1905, 1907, and near the end of his life in 1930. No. 4 is as upbeat and ceremonial as No. 1, containing another big tune in the central section, while the other three are more wistful. In World War II, No. 4 also acquired words: a patriotic verse by A. P. Herbert beginning "All men shall be free."

Elgar left sketches for a sixth Pomp and Circumstance march, and these sketches were turned into a performing version by the English composer Anthony Payne in 2006.

In the United States, No. 1 is known to many as simply "the graduation song", and is irretrievably associated with graduation ceremonies. It was first played at such a ceremony on June 28, 1905, at Yale University, where the Professor of Music Samuel Sanford had invited his friend Elgar to attend commencement and receive an honorary Doctorate of Music. Elgar accepted, and Sanford made certain he was the star of the proceedings, engaging the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the College Choir, the Glee Club, the music faculty members, and New York musicians to perform two parts from Elgar's oratorio The Light of Life and, as the graduates and officials marched out, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1. The tune soon became de rigueur at American graduations.

A similar melody by Antonín Dvořák is to be found in his Opus 59 Legends of 1881, but the similarity is believed to be a coincidence.

The Finnish metal band Stratovarius uses a version as the intro-theme for their shows. American professional wrestler "Macho Man" Randy Savage has for years used a form of this song for his entrance music.

University College, Durham, has also adapted this song to their own ends for sporting and other circumstances by changing the words to a rather more raucous set of lyrics, known as "Gentlemen of Castle". The words mention college traditions and rivalries, notably that with the "SRC" who tried (unsuccessfully) to abolish Durham's collegiate system.

External links

• Easybyte — free easy piano arrangement of "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 - 2nd Theme" by Edward Elgar (1857-1934) plus midi sound file

Compositions by Edward Elgar

Pomp and Circumstance Marches | 威風堂々 (行進曲)