0

Looking around recordings of the British Anthem "Land of Hope and Glory" I find that most of them do not include either one of the two stanzas of:

Dear Land of Hope, thy hope is crowned,
God make thee mightier yet!
On Sov'ran brows, beloved, renowned,
Once more thy crown is set.
Thine equal laws, by Freedom gained,
Have ruled thee well and long;
By Freedom gained, by Truth maintained,
Thine Empire shall be strong.

and

Thy fame is ancient as the days,
As Ocean large and wide:
A pride that dares, and heeds not praise,
A stern and silent pride;
Not that false joy that dreams content
With what our sires have won;
The blood a hero sire hath spent
Still nerves a hero son.

But only have the well-known chorus. Why is that so?

Improve this question
2
  • Lines such as "Thine Empire shall be strong" and "The blood a hero sire hath spent" are perhaps viewed as a bit too jingoistic and imperialistic in some quarters? – ABragg Oct 7 '16 at 13:59
  • Probably a reason similar as to why nobody sings the full Wilhelmus. It's too long and many of the stanzas are archaic at best. – Mast Aug 8 '20 at 10:14
2

The chorus has simpler words, with a more obvious appeal, and the two verses have quite archaic language. Also, the music for the chorus is what is in Elgar's first "Pomp and Circumstance" March, which is a feature of the annual "Last night of the Proms" concert. The March pre-dates the full anthem.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.