Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 is a march for orchestra by the English composer Edward Elgar. He wrote it in 1901. Its slow middle tune is the one played at graduation ceremonies across the United States and Canada. The whole march lasts about six minutes, and the graduation tune is only one part of it.
Quick facts
- Composer: Edward Elgar, who lived from 1857 to 1934
- Written: 1901
- Length: about 6 minutes
- Played by: a full orchestra
- Part of: a set of marches with the same title
- The name: from a line in Shakespeare’s play Othello
What the title means
“Pomp” means a grand show. “Circumstance” here means ceremony. Together they mean the splendor of a great parade. Elgar took the words from Shakespeare.
Two tunes
A march of this kind has two parts.
| Part | What it sounds like |
|---|---|
| The march | Fast and busy. The strings rush, and the brass punch out the beat. |
| The trio | Slow, broad, and noble. This is the graduation tune. |
The order is: march, trio, march, trio, and a short, fast ending. The second time, the trio is played by the whole orchestra at full strength.
The famous tune
Elgar knew the slow tune was special. He told a friend that he had a tune that would knock people flat.
At the first London concert, the audience would not let the orchestra go on. The march had to be played three times.
A year later, the tune was given words for the crowning of King Edward VII. With the words, it is called “Land of Hope and Glory,” and audiences in Britain sing it at the last concert of a famous summer festival in London.
Why it plays at graduations
In 1905, Yale University gave Elgar an honorary degree. The march was played at the ceremony as people walked out. Other universities copied the idea, and then high schools did. Today the slow tune is the sound of graduation in North America.
In Britain, the same tune means something different. People there know it as a song for national celebrations.
What to listen for
| Part | What happens |
|---|---|
| Opening | A quick, restless tune in the strings, with sharp accents |
| The trio, first time | The violins play the slow tune, soft and warm, over a steady walking bass |
| The march returns | The busy music comes back |
| The trio, second time | The whole orchestra plays the slow tune, with brass and drums |
| Ending | A last burst of the march |
Things to do together
Walk the graduation walk. Play the trio. Walk across the room, one slow step to each beat, with a book on your head.
March and glide. March fast for the opening. Glide for the trio. Switch each time the music does.
Soft and grand. Listen to the trio both times. Ask what changed the second time.
Hold a ceremony. Make a paper certificate for something your child has finished: a book, a swimming level, or a piece of music. Play the trio as they walk up to get it.
Find the two speeds. Tap the beat of the march and the beat of the trio. Which is faster?
Name the instruments. In the second trio, listen for trumpets, trombones, and drums.
Questions to ask
- Why does this tune suit a big day?
- How does the fast part make you feel? How does the slow part?
- Where would you play this music?
- What words would you put to the slow tune?
Words to know
- March: music for walking in step
- Trio: the calmer middle part of a march
- Pomp: a grand display
- Honorary degree: a title a university gives to honor someone’s work
Print and play
Use a listening journal page to draw the two parts. Read Elgar for kids and, for a second famous march, The Stars and Stripes Forever.
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This article is part of Classical music listening guides for kids: famous pieces, one at a time.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.