Sunday 29 June 2014

London's W14 - a Land of Hope And Glory?

The theme to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March No 1 became Britain's unofficial national anthem during World War One, especially on Armistice Day in 1918 when the crowds in Trafalgar Square heartily embraced it. An Eton schoolmaster A C Benson had written the words to the tune, after Cecil Rhodes' will had requested an anthem be created for the British Empire. Edward Elgar lived in West London during an exciting but trying time in his career. Edward was in his early thirties and struggling to gain recognition as a self-taught classical composer. He had recently married a former piano pupil Alice Roberts, eight years his senior. Alice’s family had disinherited her, considering she had married beneath her, Edward being the son of a provincial sheet music seller from Worcester while Alice’s family were upper class Indian Army. Alice, therefore set her life’s work as proving her family wrong. She became Edward’s publicist, manager and copyist. Avonmore Road is where their only child, daughter Cerise was born. Edward had to wait well into his forties before recognition came with his Enigma Variations. He was knighted by King Edward VII and appointed OM (Order of Merit) by King George V. So Alice eventually became LADY Elgar! Today Land of Hope and Glory marks the end of Last Night of The Proms.

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