All the way back to the start of the week, prior to the fun had at the Summer Festival, Lower School Play and other events, we were delighted to have such a wonderful Prizegiving evening in Cadogan Hall. Music fills the concert hall all evening as we celebrate, culminating in a wonderful tradition of communal singing. With full orchestra, we sing the popular hymn ‘Jerusalem’, a rousing early 20^th century tune by Sir Hubert Parry in an orchestral arrangement by Sir Edward Elgar.

The poem, And did those feet in ancient time, was published over a century prior, in 1808 by William Blake. The poem references the legend that Jesus visited England during his youth. This is widely received as symbolic and metaphorical, rather than literal. The first verse asks evocative questions and sets a tone of mystery and longing of salvation. The reference of ‘dark Satanic mills’, contrasting the idyllic ‘green and pleasant land’ later, is often interpreted as a critique of the rapidly changing landscape in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. The second verse, calling for action with bows, arrows, spears, chariots of fire, symbolize our fight against evil and injustice. The hypothetical ‘Jerusalem’, is a symbol of a ideal land of redemption, peace and justice. Although the music and the lyrics are a century and two centuries old respectively, they still strike a powerful and apt message in today’s society.

Enjoy the full glory of Jerusalem again, this time at the Royal Albert Hall, conducted by the recently-departed Sir Andrew Davis:

For something different, here is another beautiful William Blake poem set to song in two contrasting ways:

John Tavener’s haunting ‘The Lamb’:

Elaine Hagenberg’s whimsical ‘Lamb’:

Mr Mercer, Head of Co-Curricular Music