The unsung Jerusalem

The English patriotic song Jerusalem was originally meant to have a less rousing opening, a professor of music has discovered.
By The Newsroom
Published 3rd Jul 2012, 07:00 BST

Composer Charles Hubert Parry wrote its first verse for a single voice, rather than the grand choral opening for which it is now famous.

Professor Jeremy Dibble, a musicologist at Durham University, pictured above with a student choir, found that Parry’s original score said ‘all available voices’ should join in on the second verse.

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Since it was written in 1916, its popularity has meant it has been sung with gusto at sports events, at Labour Party conferences and at last year’s royal wedding. It has also become the unofficial anthem of the Women’s Institute. Prof Dibble added: ‘People clearly enjoyed singing it together in church, at meetings and at The Last Night Of The Proms, so much so that we’ve forgotten Parry’s original intention of a solo beginning.’

Picture: Craig Connor/NNP/Durham University/PA.

Related topics:JerusalemLabour PartyPeople