May 19, 2026 - Good Morning! It’s Tuesday, May 19, and we’re right in the middle of... graduation season! And at this time of year, every year, a particular piece of classical music is heard all across America. I’m speaking, of course, of Edward Elgar’s “March in D, Land of Hope & Glory.”
What? That title doesn’t ring a bell? Maybe you know it by its other name - “Pomp and Circumstance.” Once again, graduates will walk to this stately tune as they accept their diplomas. This happened for the first time in 1905 at the graduation ceremonies of Yale University. That year Yale was presenting an honorary degree to the British composer, Elgar. And to make him feel right at home, they played some of his music, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Elgar, a devout Catholic, in a largely Protestant England, was a bold believer and wrote many religious works. But it is this moving march that has become his legacy. When he had finished it, he said to his wife, “I’ve got a new tune that will knock them flat!” And “Pomp and Circumstance” has been stirring our souls ever since.
To all our graduates - Congratulations and march on!
Meet you back here tomorrow,
David
cindertex50@yahoo.com
