“Pomp and Circumstance” is a representative work by the British national composer Edward Elgar.

The original title, “Pomp and Circumstance,” is taken from a line in “Othello,” a play by the world-renowned British playwright William Shakespeare. While a literal translation would be something like “magnificently, pompously,” the Japanese title “Ifu Dodo” (威風堂々), though somewhat a free translation, can be considered an excellent rendition that encapsulates the essence of the piece in a single phrase. The piano version was arranged by Adolf Schmidt, who was active as a conductor and arranger from the late 19th to the early 20th century.

Marches

No. 1

Composed in 1901. Allegro con molto fuoco, D major, 2/4 time. Ternary form. This is the most famous of all five marches. The impressive introductory section at the beginning sounds like it starts on the beat, but it actually begins on the off-beat of the second beat. This introduction appears not only at the beginning but also whenever the music transitions to the next section, serving to punctuate key moments in the music. The subsequent main section, with both its first and second themes, has the brisk character of a military march. The particularly famous trio in the middle section will be examined in more detail later.

No. 2

Composed in 1901, like No. 1. Allegro molto, A minor, 2/4 time. Ternary form. Although shorter than No. 1, the introduction of No. 2 also has the valiant sound characteristic of a military march, appearing impressively at important transitional points. The trio in the middle section modulates to A major, the parallel major of A minor. Compared to the grandly singing trio of No. 1, the trio of No. 2 has a light and spirited, yet brave character.

No. 3

Composed in 1904. Con fuoco, C minor, 4/4 time. Ternary form. While No. 1 and No. 2 featured valiant introductions typical of military marches, no introduction is written for No. 3 onwards. From the outset, the first theme exudes a heroic and solemn presence, and the second theme becomes vivace, full of dynamism, steadily building the musical excitement. The subsequent trio in the middle section has two themes, a unique structure among all five marches.

No. 4

Composed in 1907. Allegro marziale, G minor, 2/4 time. Ternary form. This is the second most famous march after No. 1, and many similarities in structure and writing style can be observed with No. 1. The trio section in the middle was later set to lyrics by the British writer and politician A.P. Herbert, and under the title “Song of Liberty,” it was widely sung by Britons during World War II, encouraging the nation amidst the harsh realities of war.

No. 5

Vivace, C major, Ternary form. This is the only one of the five marches where the time signature changes mid-piece, with 6/8 time and 2/4 time appearing alternately. While Marches No. 1-4 were all composed in the 1910s, No. 5 was composed in 1930, during Elgar's later years. More than 20 years after the composition of the first four marches, Elgar's accumulated musical skill is fully displayed, and although all “Pomp and Circumstance” marches are written in ternary form, No. 5 is composed with a more complex structure than the preceding four.

As mentioned earlier, No. 1 is particularly famous among them. It gained immense popularity from its premiere, with an anecdote even stating that enthusiastic audiences demanded an unprecedented two encores at the time, leading to a total of three performances. Its reputation reached the ears of King Edward VII, who, upon hearing the performance, is said to have highly praised Elgar, remarking, “This tune will become famous throughout the world.” The “tune” that the King praised refers to the melody of the trio appearing in the middle section of No. 1, so much so that the King later requested Elgar to set lyrics to the trio section. In response to His Majesty's direct request, Elgar set A.C. Benson's poem to music, composing “Coronation Ode” in 1902, and quoted this melody in the finale, “Land of Hope and Glory,” which is still frequently performed as an independent song today.

Furthermore, at “The Proms,” the world's largest classical music festival and a quintessential British summer event, it is a tradition for “Pomp and Circumstance” March No. 1 to be performed alongside the British national anthem, “Rule, Britannia!,” “Jerusalem,” and “Auld Lang Syne” during the “Last Night,” which concludes the approximately two-month-long festival. The sight of nearly 10,000 spectators packed into the hall, singing in a grand chorus while waving national flags, is truly breathtaking, serving as proof that this piece is still sung by many British citizens as “Britain's second national anthem.”