|
National anthem of England
|
There is no official National anthem of England. Instead, England adopts the United Kingdom and Commonwealth anthem, "God Save the Queen". However a number of popular patriotic songs are sung in its place. These include "Jerusalem", "Land of Hope and Glory" and "I Vow to Thee, My Country". There have been calls for a new national anthem to be adopted for England.
Current anthems in sport
At present, the following anthems are used:
- At international football matches England use "God Save the Queen" as the national anthem.
- At international rugby union matches England use "God Save the Queen" as the national anthem.
- At international test cricket matches, England have, since 2003, used "Jerusalem" as their entrance anthem.[1]
- At international rugby league matches, England have used "Land of Hope and Glory", but in the 2005 internationals changed to "God Save the Queen".
- At the Commonwealth Games, England use "Land of Hope and Glory" as the victory anthem.
Proposed anthems
On 20 April 2007, Greg Mulholland, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds North West, introduced an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons, proposing that England has its own national anthem. The EDM called for all English sporting associations to "adopt an appropriate song that English sportsmen and women, and the English public, would favour when competing as England."[2] There has also been an EDM calling for "Jerusalem" to be given official status as the national anthem of England, proposed by Daniel Kawczynski, the Conservative Party MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham on 18 October 2006.[3].
In April 2008 Greg Mulholland called for the England national rugby league team to replace "God Save the Queen" with an English national anthem at the Rugby League World Cup (RL World Cup) to be held in Australia in autumn 2008[4] and on 28 April he put forward another EDM in the House of Commons, noting that Scotland, Wales and Ireland who are also taking part in the RL World Cup, will all have their own national anthems, and therefore calling on England to use an English national anthem rather than the British national anthem, with the proposal that English rugby league fans should be given the chance to choose an English anthem. [5]
A number of songs have been used or proposed as a separate national anthem. These include:
Land of Hope and Glory
-
"Land of Hope and Glory" is noted for being played at the annual Last Night of the Proms amidst flag-waving, and for having long been seen as the unofficial anthem of the Conservative Party. The tune for the song was taken from the first of Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches. It is also used as the victory anthem of England at the Commonwealth Games. It is however, regarded as a British patriotic song rather than English, with reference to the extension of the British Empire's boundaries.
Lyrics
- Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned.
- God make thee mightier yet!
- On Sov'reign brows, beloved, renowned,
- Once more thy crown is set.
- Thine equal laws, by Freedom gained,
- Have ruled thee well and long;
- By Freedom gained, by Truth maintained,
- Thine Empire shall be strong.
-
- Land of Hope and Glory,
- Mother of the Free,
- How shall we extol thee,
- Who are born of thee?
- Wider still and wider
- Shall thy bounds be set;
- God, who made thee mighty,
- Make thee mightier yet
- God, who made thee mighty,
- Make thee mightier yet.
- Thy fame is ancient as the days,
- As Ocean large and wide
- A pride that dares, and heeds not praise,
- A stern and silent pride
- Not that false joy that dreams content
- With what our sires have won;
- The blood a hero sire hath spent
- Still nerves a hero son.
Jerusalem
-
The most well known version of the poem "And did those feet in ancient time" is the song "Jerusalem", with music by Hubert Parry, which was orchestrated by Edward Elgar in 1922 for a large orchestra at the Leeds Festival. Upon hearing the orchestral version for the first time, King George V said that he preferred that "Jerusalem" replace "God Save the King" as the national anthem. "Jerusalem" is also, as with "Land of Hope and Glory" performed at the annual Last Night of the Proms.
It was used as a campaign slogan by the Labour Party in the 1945 general election when Clement Attlee said they would build "a new Jerusalem". The song is also the unofficial anthem of the Women's Institute, and historically was used by the National Union of Suffrage Societies. It has also been sung at conferences of the Conservative Party.
It is frequently sung as an office or recessional hymn in English cathedrals, churches and chapels on St George's Day. The hymn is also sung in some churches on "Jerusalem Sunday", a day set aside to celebrate the Holy city of Jerusalem in Anglican Churches throughout the world and even in some Episcopal Churches in the United States. However some vicars in the Church of England, according to the BBC Television programme Jerusalem: An Anthem for England, have said that the song is not technically a hymn, as it is not a prayer to God, which hymns always are. Consequently, it is not sung in some churches in England.[6]
"Jerusalem" is considered to be England's most popular patriotic song, and it has often been used as an alternative national anthem. There have been calls to give it official status[3]. However as a Romanticist poem it has come under some criticism, mainly for asking four questions, each with a literal answer of 'no'. Consequently some see it as unsuitable as an English national anthem, especially as its reference to a foreign city would be puzzling to other nations.
In 2000 a rendition of "Jerusalem" by Fat Les was adopted by the English Football Association as the England football teams official song for the UEFA Euro 2000 competition.[7] And Since 2004 it has been the entrance anthem of the England cricket team.[1]
Lyrics
- And did those feet in ancient time,
- Walk upon England’s mountains green:
- And was the holy Lamb of God,
- On England’s pleasant pastures seen!
- And did the Countenance Divine,
- Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
- And was Jerusalem builded here,
- Among these dark Satanic Mills?
- Bring me my Bow of burning gold;
- Bring me my Arrows of desire:
- Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold:
- Bring me my Chariot of fire!
- I will not cease from Mental Fight,
- Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
- Till we have built Jerusalem,
- In England’s green & pleasant Land.
I Vow to Thee, My Country
-
The origin of the lyrics is a poem by diplomat Cecil Spring-Rice which he wrote in 1908 whilst posted to the British Embassy in Stockholm. Then called Urbs Dei or The Two Fatherlands, the poem described how a Christian owes his loyalities to both his homeland and the heavenly kingdom. The first verse, as then written, had a direct and heated patriotism of a kind which has become less popular since the First World War.
The first verse is a reference to England and the sacrifice of those who died during World War I. The second verse starting, "And there's another country" is a reference to heaven. The final line is based on Proverbs 3:17, which reads in the King James Bible, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace."
Lyrics
- I vow to thee, my country, all earthly things above,
- Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love;
- The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test,
- That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best;
- The love that never falters, the love that pays the price,
- The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice.
- And there's another country, I've heard of long ago,
- Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know;
- We may not count her armies, we may not see her King;
- Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering;
- And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase,
- And her ways are ways of gentleness, and all her paths are peace.
Overview
"Jerusalem" is the only one of the above proposed English national anthems that explicity mentions England. The first verse of "I Vow to Thee, My Country" is about England. However, British national culture is used in "Land of Hope and Glory".
Other English patriotic songs
Other English patriotic songs which have been proposed as possible national anthems of England include traditional songs such as "Rose of England" an English patriotic song written by Ivor Novello in 1937 for his musical Crest of the Wave, and popularised by Vera Lynn during World War II. The flower to which the song's lyrics refer is one of England's national emblems, the Tudor Rose. Also, "There'll Always Be an England" an English patriotic song, written and distributed in 1940 and highly popular throughout World War II. It was composed and written by Ross Parker and Harry Par-Davies. The words were written by Hugh Charles, and the most popular version was sung by Vera Lynn. As well as modern patriotic songs such as "A Place called England" written by English folk singer Maggie Holland, which won the Best Original Song award at the 2000 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.[8]
References
- ^ a b "Sing Jerusalem for England!", BBC News (2005-09-06). Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Mulholland, Greg (2007-04-20). "Early Day Motion EDM 1319, English National Anthem", House of Commons Information Office. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ a b Kawczynski, Daniel (2006-10-18). "Early Day Motion EDM 2791, English National Anthem", House of Commons Information Office. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ "World Cup RL anthem plea by Leeds MP", Yorkshire Evening Post (2008-05-01). Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Mulholland, Greg (2008-04-28). "Early Day Motion EDM 1429, English National Anthem for the Rugby League World Cup", House of Commons Information Office. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ Borland, Sophie (2008-04-18). "Cathedral bans popular hymn Jerusalem", Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ "Fat Les score for England", BBC News (2000-05-08). Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
- ^ "BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Previous winners", BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Retrieved on 2008-06-15.
External links
|
