Talk:And Did those Feet

This is one of my favourite poems, especially when set to the music of Parry and Elgar DidThoseFeet 11:20, 9 February 2008 (EST)

It's actually called "Jerusalem"! Only those ignorant of the title would call it otherwise. Blake's poem is part of a longer work about Milton...but it appears in anthologies as "Jerusalem" and as such in CDs, sheet music and Parry work lists etc., Can this be changed please?

(And Elgar had nothing to do with it.) AlanE 16:02, 21 October 2008 (EDT)

Can someone authorise the removal of the anti-Islamic rhetoric from this article? Neutrality, anyone?

Titles

I think the tune is called Jerusalem. Was the poem written before the tune? --Ed Poor ^Talk 14:57, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Ed, as I wrote, the poem was written in the early 1800s...printed in 1808 according to my copy of his complete works. Also as written, old Sir Hubert wrote the song in 1915 or 16. (For, believe it or not, a political rally).

The song is always called "Jerusalem". Always.

The text is part of "Milton - a Poem in [1] 2 Books. The Author and Printer W. Blake 1804. To Justify the Ways of God to Men". (To quote its full title). Don't ever try reading the full poem - it's mostly incomprehensible! However, in the various anthologies of verse I have, those four verses are always listed as "Jerusalem" as both the heading at the top of the verses themselves and in the "Index of Works". Only in the "Index of first lines" do we find "And did those feet....." (note the lower case 'did' and 'feet').

BTW a London Proms rendition is on the Hubert Parry article. Cheers AlanE 15:54, 24 February 2009 (EST)

??????????

May I ask why Reagan's funeral hymn is suddenly here? It has nothing at all to do with the subject...a different time, country, purpose, culture. Especially as it is plonked down flat bang between the poem and the hymn, separating the two parts of the same subject without any logic or reason that I can see, and even makes part of the text of my description of the song meaningless. Ed...pahleaze! It does not belong here! AlanE 16:20, 24 February 2009 (EST)

You're thinking of the poem, I'm thinking of the hymn. The poem came first. It can even stand alone. But then some bloke was asked to write music to go with the words. The music took on a life of its own.

Now we have a piece of music which fits two different sets of lyrics. While you're still thinking of "Feet", I'm hearing Jerusalem (hymn) in my mind. I love playing it on the piano, too. Such beautiful, stirring harmonies. It's almost as good as hearing The Cactus Cuties sing The Star Spangled Banner, dude! --Ed Poor ^Talk 19:03, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Yeah; if I had realised Reagan's funeral hymn was to Parry's tune, I would not have jumped...well not as high, but I still would have "suggested its removal to somewhere else; or at least from between the poem and the song. (It is one of those vary rare pieces of music that can be considered an anthem a hymn or a song, depending on the context of the occasion.) A sentence beneath the bit about the song starting "Parry's tune, to words by.....would have done followed by the words to Bonar's hymn". BTW I know the words to a tune by the 16th/17th century composer, one Johann Schein, so forgive my confusion AlanE 19:58, 24 February 2009 (EST)

That's why we all help each other. I put in a bit which didn't belong, you sorted it out. Keep up the good work, chum. --Ed Poor ^Talk 21:32, 24 February 2009 (EST)

Hymn? Song? Anthem?

As I mentioned above (and, I think, touched on in the article on Parry) "Jerusalem" can be defined by its context. "The Oxford Companion to Music" refers to it as a "boldly idealistic song". The great English sports loving public think of it as a patriotic song - a sort of unofficial National Anthem that they bellow out from the terraces to gee up their national side during a sporting contest. Its use as a National Anthem has been bolstered during the last ten days or so with the depressingly (I'm Australian) frequent sound of it at medal ceremonies during the Commonwealth Games.

Hymn? A hymn is a song of praise to God. I have never heard it sung as a hymn in a church service - probably because it is so obviously English. I have sung it in church, but only in concerts (It's such a bloody good tune!)

The word "song" covers the various uses of this wonderful work. AlanE 01:39, 3 August 2014 (EDT)