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This song is available on Ben Stiefel's Graduation Complete

A Brief History of Pomp And Circumstance

     Pomp And Circumstance was composed by Sir Edward Elgar in 1901.  At its England premier, the piece was such a huge success that the conductor proclaimed, "The people simply rose and yelled. I had to play it again - with the same result; in fact, they refused to let me go on with the programme. After considerable delay, merely to restore order, I played the march a third time. And that, I may say, was the one and only time in the history of the Promenade concerts that such an orchestral item was accorded a double encore."  In 1902, lyrics to Pomp And Circumstance were written by poet and essayist Arthur Christopher Benson  to celebrate the crowning of King Edward VII.
     In the United States of America, Pomp And Circumstance, also known as Land Of Hope And Glory, is currently played at graduation ceremonies as a processional, and often as a recessional as well.  The piece is also performed at proms and various prestigious events.
                                                                                                  -- Ben Stiefel

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Many thanks to Ben Stiefel for permission to display these lyric excerpts.
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