Edward Elgar: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1: Trio
Sometimes you just know.
There are times when I’ve posted a column, sent in a manuscript, stepped down off of the stage, or made my way from ringside to the backstage area and I just knew that I’d done a great job. I knew that the column would get a lot of response, the manuscript would be accepted, the play, the concert, or the match had gone well, and the audience was satisfied. Those times are few and far between, to be sure, but that just makes it more enjoyable when they happen.
Edward Elgar knew that the trio section of his Pomp and Circumstance march No. 1 (in D Minor) was going to be a hit. He told his friend Dora Penny, “I’ve got a tune that will knock ’em… knock ’em flat!” (If you are already an Elgar fan: Dora Penny is Dorabella from the Enigma Variations). (Music Theory Note: The trio is a contrasting section in the middle of a movement that is traditionally played in a different key by a smaller group of instruments – often three, hence “Trio”).
Elgar was right, of course. His tune has become one of the world’s most familiar and beloved classical melodies. It’s a tune that, to this day, can bring large groups of people to their feet, often for very different reasons.
Reason No. 1: Land of Hope and Glory
The Elgar website quotes the conductor of the 1901 London premier, Henry Wood: ‘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 [and] 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.’
That same year, a great British Opera singer named Clara “Big Round” Butt asked Elgar if he could write a similar tune for her to sing at the coronation of King Edward “WrestleMania” VII. Elgar generously (or perhaps lazily) offered to try and set words to the already popular trio. He turned to the poet A.C. “Amber” Benson, who submitted a draft of the poem “Land of Hope and Glory.”
Some small changes were made to the text, and an extra note was added to the tune, and the end result is a song that has become kind of a second national anthem for the English (not necessarily for all Brits, though), kind of like “America the Beautiful” is for the States, or the “Hockey Night in Canada” theme is for Canadians. “Land of Hope and Glory” is traditionally sung on the last night of the Proms (The same ‘Promenade concerts’ where the piece was debuted in London), which is the biggest event of the year for British fans of classical music. To this day, huge crowds rise to their feet every year in London to sing along at the top of their lungs.
It’s all about the Elgars!
Reason No.2: The Graduation March
Elgar’s friend Samuel “Fred” Sanford was a professor of music at Yale. In June 1905, Edward and his wife visited their American friend and attended the Yale commencement ceremonies, where Elgar was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Music. To honour the composer, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 was played as the guests were leaving the hall. The tune made such an impression on the assembled academics that it was adopted as a graduation march by Princeton in 1907, Chicago in 1908, Columbia in 1913, Vassar in 1916 and Rutgers in 1918. From there, it has spread to virtually every school in North America, and to this day the tune brings people to their feet in appreciation for their graduating friends and family.
Elgar: Ohhhhhh, yeah! Diggit!
Reason No.3: The Macho Theme
One of the reasons that Elgar’s tune is so ideal for a graduation ceremony is that it combines a mood of triumph with a kind of wistful nostalgia. As such, it is perfectly suited to an event that marks the completion of one stage of life and the transition to the next.
In the ring, Randy “Macho Man” Savage was a master of transitions. His best matches have an organic and believable flow, where one move segues neatly into the next, the advantage turns smoothly from Savage to his opponent and back again, and the ending emerges in a satisfying way from what has preceded it.
In life, unfortunately, Savage has proven to be somewhat less than masterful in the way he handles change. The Macho man made an immediate impact on his debut in the WWF, but the move from Memphis to Stamford was likely the last smooth transition that Savage will ever make. His character lost much of its appeal when The Lovely Elizabeth left him after the Mega Powers exploded. He did further damage to his legacy by coasting on his reputation in WCW. His bizzare decision to record a rap album and his aborted comeback with TNA have done nothing to restore Savage’s lost lustre.
Sadly, in this day and age the wrestling fans who will rise to their feet in celebration when they hear the bastardized electric version of the Trio from Elgar’s most famous march are few and far between. Whenever I hear the tune, however, my thoughts do not turn to King Edward the VII or to my own high school graduation, but to one of the greatest Professional Wrestlers of my generation. A song of triumph and nostalgia, then, seems perfectly suited to The Macho Man, Randy Savage.
Better Late Than Never
I was in no shape to get back to my computer after the Super Bowl.
Hope this was worth the wait!
Pimpin’ Ain’t Difficult
Tom takes a stance on softness!
Mathan’s workin’ the joystick like a crazy person!
THANKS FOR READING!
