Tune of the Day: And Did Those Feet in Ancient Time
This choral song was written by British composer Sir Hubert Parry in 1916, based on an 1804 poem by William Blake. It is often assumed that the poem was inspired by the apocryphal story that a young Jesus, accompanied by Joseph of Arimathea, a tin merchant, travelled to what is now England and visited Glastonbury during his unknown years. In the most common interpretation of the poem, Blake asks whether a visit by Jesus briefly created heaven in England, in contrast to the “dark Satanic Mills” of the Industrial Revolution.
Edward Elgar's 1922 arrangement for large orchestra contributed to the song's popularity. King George V even said that he preferred “Jerusalem” over the British national anthem “God Save the King”, and there have since been calls to give it official status. To this day, England has no official anthem, and uses the British national anthem “God Save the King”, also unofficial, for some national occasions. However, some sports, including rugby league, use “Jerusalem” as the English anthem.