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Really good reaction SoGal If you REALLY want to see what ENGLAND is about PLEASE watch both of these short videos, either of which, show what our REAL National Anthem should be, however much we Love The Queen.. "Land Of Hope And Glory -Last Night Of THe Proms 2009 AND "Last Night Of The Proms 2009-JERUSALEM "
1 year the Jackson 5 performed at the proms, and they had Micheal on screen stage dancing, then Matilda the music theatre songs, various nights have various themes. It’s very eclectic and a great day/evening out with friends
The telescope gag is a famous Nelsonian trope. Nelson was blind in one eye because of an old battle wound. At the Battle of Copenhagen his superior admiral ordered him (by flag signal) to withdraw. Nelson put the telescope to his blind eye and said he could see no signal to withdraw.
The Proms season is about two months. ONLY on the last night of the Proms (second Saturday in September) is there audience participation, and you will notice many people dress up. ALL the other evenings are totally serious. Other than a minority of idiots, we as a nation are still very patriotic. Well done on showing interest in the above.
Last night of the proms is one of the few times British people wave their flag Most of the time we tend not to be overt about our patriotism but that doesn't mean it isn't there.
@Janet Jones Having attended about 20 last nights and 1,000 proms ( I lost count ) I can tell you we always have flags of all nations waving with the Union Jack.
It's the last night of the proms, the last night is a far more relaxed affair when people come with the flags and dress up in silly costumes. The British also enjoy laughing at themselves this is a perfect example when we try not to take ourselves too seriously. Glad you enjoyed it.
Makes me proud to be British it's one of those occasions where we as a nation really show our patriotic side because we tend to be somewhat reserved compared to Americans.
I prefer it like this to be honest. I despise how openly patriotic Americans are all the time, I find it super obnoxious. Britons are patriotic, but we're closeted patriots, we don't need to put British flags on all our cars and houses, which is good imo.
We don't wear our heart on our sleeve. Doesn't mean we dont have one. People often underestimate us and make assumptions. We are extremely proud of our heritage.
@@johnyuki1691 it's not its called being proud of youre country its dying off in America now just as it is here generation's are being raised in the West to despise the places they are from.
Very pleased you enjoyed this. Please listen to Land of Hope and Glory from the same concert. It is very moving and uplifting. Those who think being patriotic is racist can take their pathetic wokeness elsewhere. 🇬🇧
The Proms are the greatest classical musical festival in the world. For two months the audience listen in respectful silence. The Last Night of the Proms is party time! Full on audience participation. The vast majority of British people remain fiercely patriotic. It is only a vociferous woke minority who try to discourage patriotism.
@@petergaskin1811 Really Peter?! I hadn't got that particular memo. Or perhaps I am just a fascist. (I take it it's polite to call someone a fascist?) So what is the word one should use to describe such people in polite society nowadays?
@@petergaskin1811 No Peter, woke is used by those who understand the terror that narcissistic psychopathic Marxists want inflict on people. People who are woke are generally disgusting on multiple levels. The woke make the world a worse place to live.
@@mikefish8226 The definition of woke is "alert to injustice in society, especially racism". If you are against being woke, against being aware of injustice in society, then you are a really nasty piece of work.
Agreed. I'd also add the orchestral version of I vow to thee my Country, adapted from Holst's Planets suite. Its used in a video of Winston Churchill's funeral which makes the hairs on my back stand up just thinking of it.
I would add also Handel's zadok the priest. Sends shivers down my spine every single time I hear it plus it is mentioned in the video being played for the first time at George ii's coronation.
@@YorkshireScott Zadok the Priest was the first piece on the agenda when I attended my first rehearsal for the school choir, and it made a huge impact on me. I've sung it many times since, but the novelty never wears off, and it still gives me chills :)
@@YorkshireScott Yeah Zadok the Priest is so good it even inspired the Champions League football anthem. Play Zadok to most kids that love football and they will ask if its champions league!
The Proms are a serious classical music festival except for the Last Night. That's full of stuff like this. I think there's a sense that our patriotism is part tongue in cheek/part dead serious. Al Murray's comedy is a prime example of this. We know that taking over the world wasn't exactly a nice thing to do but we also know we did it very, very well - and with fetching uniforms ;)
The proms are not meant to be serious, it was started by a person i can’t recall at present sorry. He wanted everybody to hear classical music as the higher classes did, that’s why it’s tickets are very cheap & now last around 9wks. It’s taken on a life of its own which now includes modern pop music as well.
"We know that taking over the world wasn't exactly a nice thing to do but we also know we did it very, very well - and with fetching uniforms" - You, Sir, just won the internet. Well done!
The Proms are a series of around eight weeks of serious classical music performances over summer. The Last Night is a lot more relaxed and typically has a series of patriotic type songs. Worth watching a more extended version to get the full extent of audience participation on the Last Night.
Imagine something like this, that goes so deep into our culture being told it is now something wrong, and we need to stop it. The world has gone made with political correctness. Your face was a picture when you finally recognised the song!! 😎
Admiral Nelson was our greatest naval hero Sarah Connelly is a Dame of the British empire and patriotism is alive and well in our country we do pomp and cerermony better than anyone else I'm very proud to be British and be the descendant of those who fought for our freedom xx
Next thing you know Vera Lynn will be getting cancelled since someone is offended that she has 2 first names or something. We really aren't allowed to have our own culture are we
once the racist slur is totally assigned to history, then, folk with race issues, will have to explain what their true objections are. then, the excuse to start riots, has to be justified. on a positive side, Hong Kong subjects face real threats when fighting for free speech.
Perfect objective way to go into a topic. Ignore the current trend, learn and make an informed choice for yourself. The perfect way to look at history.
I know all the words to this unlike many other more supposedly more patriotic songs. To be fair unless I sing along I couldn't recite the national anthem. As soon as its playing and people are singing I remember it,but it just doesn't connect for me where as I could write down Jerusalem now word for word .
the singer is Dame Sarah Connolly, one of the foremost British operatic mezzo-sopranos, who specialises in Baroque operas and particularly in the "trouser roles", many of which were written for "Castrati" (which is exactly what you think it is), such as Handel's Julius Caesar, and later "trouser roles" such as Sesto in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito and Octavian in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.
A lot of people who aren't necessarily into classical and opera, love the last night of the proms. My dad took me when I was little, I'm 58 now, You really should look for a full show. I would gladly sit with you and enjoy it together as you react...loved this video so much..thanks SoGal.....x
22:00 That pretty much sums up the British mentality in a nutshell, we take ourselves and our history seriously all while poking fun at the ridiculousness of doing so, and in so doing wind up not taking ourselves all that seriously at all. Its the same undercurrent you see in Al Murray's stand-up, and the writings of Terry Pratchett, and its something of a national pasttime we all engage in during banter between our constituent nations. Its an art, really.
People do die from Cricket balls. They are sometimes bowled around 100mph and it's like a ball of concrete wrapped in leather. It's why cricketers wear pads and helmets.
Thank you . It was cancelled last year for not being 'woke' enough and too emperialistic - but there was such a backlash that they had to reinstate it. Thank Goodness. It is part of our history.
Told you! Sarah Connolly is now a Dame. The second half of The Last Night is a real party hence the levity. It kicks off with Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 which you’ll probably recognise as it’s used in US graduation ceremonies, or at least what we in the U.K. know as ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ (someone added the words to Elgar’s tune - reportedly he wasn’t best pleased by the addition). The quiet dignity of the graduation tune gives way to the full throated roar of the Albert Hall (and elsewhere as you noted) audience. ‘Rule Britannia’ forms the climax of Sir Henry Woods (founder of the Proms - a bust of him is positioned at the rear of the orchestra and on the Last Night the Promenaders adorn him with a Laurel wreath) ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs’ which features plenty of tunes you’ll probably recognise and has the audience faux weeping/dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs at ‘Tom Bowling’ and especially ‘There’s No Place Like Home’. There’s also a raucous orchestra/audience race/competition through ‘The Sailor’s Hornpipe’ - not your standard classical experience by any stretch of the imagination. The conductor then delivers the Proms closing speech and the evening concludes with ‘Jerusalem’ - Britain’s second, unofficial, national anthem if you ask me - Britten’s arrangement of ‘God Save The Queen’ which features two verses, the first, well known one, sung oddly quietly, the second delivered with more gusto (they don’t sing the verse about wiping out the Scots, now that IS wildly racist!) and finish with Auld Lang Syne. All these are on You Tube somewhere, with myriad versions of Rule Britannia - one video rolls about ten years worth of performances of RB into the one piece,
Tickets for the Last Night are tough to obtain. They used to be distributed first to those who had something like an 80% attendance over the season. Given that there are several concerts a day, every day for eight weeks, that’s a lot of concerts. And money, although the idea of the Promenade Concerts was you could walk up and buy a ticket cheaply and stand in the Albert Hall - if you look carefully, the audience in front of the orchestra, are standing. To a point it’s still the case today. But I think you have more chance of getting a pet unicorn than a Last Night ticket. I’d still love to go though…. Funny story - many years ago we went on a trip to China. Curious to experience what the Chinese watch on TV I casually switched on the TV in the hotel room and literally the first thing that came on was a recording of the BBC’s ‘Last Night of The Proms’ broadcast!
Jerusalem - how I love that song. Never though have I heard it described as an unofficial British national anthem. Rather it is widely regarded as the unofficial English national anthem. Especially by England's national rugby and cricket teams.
I particularly like the 1921 Hymm 'I Vow to Thee, my Country'. I have always loved Gustav Holst's piece, 'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity', and as an Australian it has always seemed very British, and very patriotic, and after some research I realised that it it is because it is music the Hymm was set to. I also really like Edward Elgar's 1901 piece 'Land of Hope and Glory'. It always seems to me to have something to do with British sport.
When it comes to patriotism, we British don't have the "always-on" level of patriotism of the US, but it comes out very strongly at specific events like the Last Night of the Proms and in Sports (especially football). Part of this is because we're just generally more reserved, but it is also because it modern times some patriotic symbols have been co-opted and become associated with far-right racist nationalism. So in normal times if you had an English flag on your house people would question it, but when the football's on it is quite normal.
Unfortunately it becomes a self fulfilling spiral. Fewer people sport the flag outside of events like this, apart from those far right groups, further reinforcing the association
King Alfred the Great was king of the kingdom of Wessex, when England was divided into several kingdoms. He led his armies into successful victories over the occupying Vikings, and was arguably the earliest or biggest proponent of a United England as one kingdom. Deeply religious and a great king.
King Alfred, aka Alfred the Great, was an Anglo Saxon king born in 849 AD and spent most of his reign fighting the vikings to take back Wessex which he eventually did.
He also formed the idea of combining the four kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria into one Kingdom called England although this wasn't completed in his life time and took another two generations. He's also famous for his legal reforms and advocacy of learning and education.
Alfred 'the Great' what ? Good King Alfred, by ancient folk law... BURNED THE CAKES. Instant immortality, Still, the Command of King Canute is a bit questionable. Allegedly, he sat in his deckchair on the beach and Commanded the Tide NOT to come in. Wise observers of history and astrological phenomenon will appreciate what happened next.
Sarah Connoly is dressed as Admiral Lord Nelson (the fact that Nelson was wearing all his medals at the Battle of Trafalgar is sometimes given as the reason that the French sniper could identify him as a target.) The medal around her neck is a facsimile of the Naval Gold Medal -I think that, in fact, Nelson had three of these.
It's a shame british patriotism is seen as racist or far right, people should be allowed to be proud of where they come from without the accusation of racism or extremism. But I think most brits hide their patriotism for "socially" acceptable times, because when a brit shows any sort of pride in their country they get bombarded with allegations and the nice people of the Internet teach us about OUR history as if we don't know it and get told how evil Britain is. And God forbid you are english, your basicly classed as the devil him self for some reason.
@@nathansellars3757 well when people like to talk about brits being bad we all know they mean english. Also the english are the only ones in the uk that if we have a national party it's "racist" but the rest of the uk can have one, not that I want one, but it's very hypocritical.
The problem with the 'history' that some lecture us with is that it's always missing out the full story, even lying. Just for the sake of internal propaganda or spreading hatred.
@@starrynight1657 even though I admit some of our history is very unsavoury it's not fair to paint us all with the same brush, we are not those people who did those things. You can go back in any countrys past and find history that is seen as evil or bad, we were just the biggest and last true empire so we are looked down on, were as Egypt, Greece and romans are seen as great and revolutionary.
To stand even once as a Prommer in the the Arena (that's the official name for the floor area) on a Last Night is a true honour and privilege... I have been extremely lucky to have been at three Last Nights - 2015, 2017 and 2018 when the legend that is Sir Andrew Davis returned for one more Last Night You should try to come to one
Well this brought a tear to my eye. My father and I went to the last night of the proms several times and when we couldn't go for some reason, I'd go to his house to watch it on tv with him. My dad died 25 years ago and I've never been able to bring myself to watch it since. Maybe I will next time...
It's so nice that you, as an American and not a Brit, are looking into this with an open minded interest in history. With out people such as your self, history will become lost.
@@logan8638 And then Alfred's grandson, Athelstan, got rid of them and became the first King of England. (Alfred, of course had only been King of Wessex).
Alfred’s daughter Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians (c. 870 - 12 June 918) ruled Mercia in the English Midlands from 911 until her death. She was highly respected and the one responsible for negotiating peace treaties amongst other tribes in creating a Kingdom of England.
You should watch more of the last night of the proms particularly “Land of Hope and glory” (known in the US as the graduation march also the sailors hornpipe which gets faster and faster as they play it. They are called “Proms” because of the large group of people who are standing and walking (or promenading) near the orchestra it got nothing to do with a school prom
A few years ago I heard that one of the Scandinavian countries (I think it was Sweden) decided to have a "Proms" season of classical music each year, ending with their own "Last Night".The local television broadcaster had been relaying live broadcasts of the Last Night for years, so music lovers there knew what it was all about. So the Proms season came and finished with their Last Night. A lot of the audience, both those physically attending and watching on television complained because their Last Night didn't contain Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem or Rule Britannia, all British or English patriotic songs, and staples of the British Last Night.
Now curiously enough in 1996 I was in Stockholm for a 'dirty weekend' with my future wife and we went to some Swedish equivalent of "Proms in the Park". The evening concluded with a rendition of "Land of Hope and Glory". I was stunned but impressed.
I'm Swedish and I have never heard of that story. However last night of the proms is broadcast every year live on national television and I make sure to not miss at least the last hour with this gem and land of hope and glory 🙂
I'm English and very proud of my country. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I'm very proud of our history, our self deprecating sense of humour, our NHS our Queen and I love Last Night of the Proms, I always watch it on TV and sing along, its wonderful. What you have to understand about us brits is that we are *very* comfortable in our own skin, so comfortable in fact that we have a self deprecating sense of humour, which people from other countries dont 'get'. We take the mickey out of ourselves and others, its a fact that the more we take the mickey, the more we like you.
Hi Matey. The Royal Albert Hall is the most amazing place to go and see anything. I have been on the floor and up in the "Gods!" That is so steep that if you have a fear of hights you do not want to be there. Greetings from Yorkshire. Take care. John.x
I used to work for a firm of QS's and Facilities Managers. I Project Managed the building of a couple of Bars and of the telescopic gantry system for cleaning the Copper roof. You can walk inside the Roof Structure and at the centre of the internal ceiling is a circular grille. From inside the roof you can look down through the grille to the floor below.
I did the Last Night about 10 times and it is an absolute riot, albeit one best enjoyed after a considerable quantity of alcohol! The Proms is a very serious classical music festival that runs for 7 weeks from mid-July to mid-September. All the concerts are serious and include visits from a number of the leading world orchestras. The Last Night is, in effect, the "end of term party" for those who have attended the rest of the concerts. Indeed, there is a requirement to have attended at least six concerts in the season before you can apply for a Last night ticket. The distinctive character of the proms derives not least from the c.1000 standing places on the central floor of the Royal Albert Hall (the Arena) and high up in the Gallery. These "promenading" or "promming" tickets are very cheap (£6-7) and have been a feature of the concerts since they started in the 1890s and the promenaders are famous for their attentiveness during the serious concerts. After 7 weeks of intense concert-going, the last night is a party that allows the promenaders and audience a chance to let their hair down and have fun, joining in the singing, chanting messages to the conductor and orchestra and generally having a wild old time!
Love the proms... Its a little bit of national pride that any resident or visitor can be a part of.. Its silly , its fun.. Its harmless and we love it...
20:07 She's wearing the uniform of Admiral Nelson so I'm assuming she's wearing the naval gold medal, handed out during the Napoleonic wars and the Anglo-American wars of 1812. If it is that medal it depicts Britannia. Britannia is the national personification of Britain. War medals were originally worn in a similar manner to the way in which sports medals are worn today, pinning them to your chest is a later innovation.
The Patriot movement started in the British Parliament as a branch of the Whig Party. They were opposed mostly by the Tory Party. Patriot back then meant ‘A factious disturber of government’ or the reverse of the modern meaning. Patriots were Liberals and later became the Liberal Party. Liberalism = ‘A political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy and free enterprise’. they campaigned to end the slave trade in the Empire and around the world (slavery in England having been illegal since the 11th century). This conflict between Patriot and Tory spread to the colonies. British Patriots supported independence in parliament whilst others went to fight for Washington. Thomas Paine the political writer and propagandist was a British Patriot. Please google ‘Victory Arch Parlington Hall Yorkshire’. This monument was built in 1783 to celebrate American Independence. However one of the strange twists of history is that American Patriots having gained independence became even more Tory than the Tories. The new USA built slavery into the constitution and limited voters to the White property owning class or just 6% of the population. America became less democratic and with fewer liberties. It remains a Tory Republic to this day.
Hi SoCal! The two videos you posted so well; Rule Britannia and Pomp & Circumstance (Land of Hope & Glory) are actually songs on the same central theme. That theme is NOT about Empire though they were written during the Second Empire and the greater Victorian/Edwardian Third Empire. Both songs were about “FREEDOM”; the most cherish God given right. Follow me: Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, slowly took the whole of England back from the Danes and Vikings to become the first King of England. He cherish “freedom”, and the “Witan” (The primitive Parliament of the Aldermen (Elders), and Bishops) who “checked and balanced” the power of the King to insure Freedom of the realm. The Spanish Armadas (several of them) attempted to England’s sovereignty. Later Napoleon tried to conquer the United Kingdom. The fight for Freedom inspired these songs. The “mighty” of the UK is not her Empire, but the spread of the ideals of her cherish freedoms and free market economics that made the Great Empire possible, and the spread of free markets and religion (From the reformation onward) was to be celebrated. Now SoCal you see how American songs and praise are a continuation of America’s British Heritage. As a British citizen who recently acquired the honour of becoming an American citizenship, I’m here to help answer questions. Cheers, and thank you.
For the last few years the Last Night has been simul-cast to various locations throughout the UK. Another great one from the Last Night is the Fantasia on British Sea Songs .... particularly The Hornpipe !.
Strangely enough, the term “patriots” as far as the American War of Independence is concerned is a misnomer. Those who opposed the Crown were rebels and patriots were those who remained true to the Crown as America at that time was a British colony. I am not arguing that the rebels were wrong to throw off the oppressive English yoke, but simply that the terminology is disingenuous.
@@EK-gr9gd I personally believe the American colonists had good reason to secede from Britain. There are many egregious things that the people under George III were doing at that time, and I won’t go into detail as it’s there in the history books. Let us not forget that George III who was suffering from madness caused by the genetic disease porphyria as the Royal line was too interbred in the Hanoverians. Some dispute the cause, some favour general paresis a result of tertiary syphilis which might have been passed in utero. The result was madness requiring a Regent his son George (later to become George IV) to be available in his stead. George III was an absolutist and ended up in many bust ups with Parliament, especially by attempting to tax the colonies. So it was an inevitability that the Americans would secede. My point is the terminology that Americans use to describe themselves as patriots (This would mean those who still swore allegiance to the Crown). In truth prior to secession they were rebels. We British at that time were overstretched with the colonies across the globe. Then came the French Revolution and eventually the little bully Bonaparte. Thanks to these other factors the American Revolution succeeded as the French did everything in their power to thwart the British. History could have been very different, though had it not happened then it would have happened. A lesson can be learned from the hubris of the British then as the sun did eventually set on the British Empire. The USA at present has much the same hubris and history always repeats itself because we seem as a species to be completely unable to learn from the lessons of the past.
Land of Hope and Glory should be the English National Anthem. The Scots have "Flower of Scotland", the Welsh have "Land of my Fathers". Yes I know the UK has God Save the Queen, but I fail to see how "Jerusalem" can be the English Anthem. Land of Hope and Glory is much more stirring! ua-cam.com/video/vpEWpK_Dl7M/v-deo.html From the same Proms in 2009
Now I know that there will be some contributors who might disagree....but....in my humble opinion....wait for it..... The Russian national anthem, from the perspective of an inspirational piece of music, takes a top 10 place on the national anthems 'Hit parade. And I hate Communists ! Sorry communists.
The Proms are great. It's patriotism done right, not to be mistaken with the nationalism that the political far-right is aligned with. I also love the fact that someone brought a Jolly Roger to wave in the outdoor crowd. British humor at its best. :)
Not sure I'd agree. Right of centre people don't respect tradition. They abuse it as a way of resisting change and enforcing conformity. Which is kind of ironic, given thar the era they harken back to saw the greatest change in the world that led to the greatness of Britain that we celebrate today. There's no respect there.
@@guywilletts2804 yes and it’s funny now that although Britain has a conservative government the number of institutions falling under control of far left ideologues is increasing. The bbc being a notable one. The fact that they tried to remove land of hope and glory demonstrates exactly what the left think about tradition and patriotism. Only the far left though. I don’t think the far right pose as much of a threat at the moment.
@@lobbyskids2 You are talking utter rubbish. Look at who the DG is. Far left my arse. If you look at the coverage that politicians get on the BBC, you will see that the right-wing ones get much more positive coverage than those on the left. The BBC is centerist at the most, and generally centre-right. "I don’t think the far right pose as much of a threat at the moment" Murdered Labour MP, SNP MP having to leave her home due to death threats, homohobic and islamaphobic hate crimes on the rise. All right-wing actions. I would be interested to know what threats you think the "far left" pose at the moment.
@@gregoryclark8217 the reason there is a right leaning dg is because the bbc is suffering the backlash of its woke programming. People are cancelling their licences in droves you would have to be blind not to see that. Just go on iPlayer and look at all the programs it’s utter woke nonsense. As for the murder of Jo cox it was a random nutter and nothing to do with any organised political organisation. Did you not see the crowds of thugs marching through our capitol city streets, desecrating war memorials and burning British flags. What about our education system trying to decolonize the curriculum. Teaching our kids that they live in an especially evil country and teaching white children that they are born with the original sin of privilege. The left are reversing all the hard work that has been done to promote racial harmony in this country. People are absolutely sick of it and that is why we have a conservative government even though people hate them they hate the left more.
The most sad thing about people thinking that this song is rassisist, is that it's the exact opposite. It's saying that anyone in Britain cannot be a slave, something first said in the mid 1500's & this means everyone, including an escaped slave in the 1600's,who was judged in court that he couldn't be a slave in the UK as "the air was too pure for anyone to be a slave" in Britain. The lack of education & the forgetting of history means confusion like this is sadly more & more common. As said here, it also refers back 2000 years to actual early Britains being enslaved, so any attempt to cancel this actual cancels important history, say NO at all costs!
There are several good videos of Last Night at the Proms which is basically a huge patriotic event, It always ends with Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and God Save the queen. It is very stirring if you are patriotic. It is one night when British reserve comes down and we do let our patriotism out. Last night at the proms is in early September
the proms are a serious celebration to classical music but the last night is a more relaxed and fun night .the proms are from 30th july to 11th september
I agree that's it's the better hymn but I don't think it should be our national anthem because I vow to thee my country is used as a remembrance hymn to remember and honour our war dead using it as a national anthem would take away from that. What we need is a completely new song one that has no history that can be misinterpreted, one that can be made to represent the whole union all four countries and all Britons regardless of their history.
Watching you react to the Last Night of the Proms performance was a joy. In fact that’s the word for the whole event….it is joyous…if that’s the shape of patriotism, we should be allowed to enjoy the fun of it….and the fact that the BBC were forced to backtrack on a plan to have an instrumental version only at last year’s proms, for political reasons, was a blow for the freedom to have fun…. Thank you so much for this….
Its definitely worth watching some more stuff from the Proms. It's an amazing music event with performances from places all around the commonwealth. The last night is definitely the best night. Jerusalem, rule Britania, pomp and circumstances. Its definitely an amazing event.
Alfred the Great usually isn't counted among English monarchs as he was king of Wessex rather than a unified England (one of the Anglo Saxon heptarchy that made up the country at the time). That being said, he was unique. He was the first king of the Anglo Saxon era to buck the trend of being a warrior king and became a trendsetter in improving the infrastructure and organisation of the government. He suffered various health issues so rarely took the field himself but, in tackling the vikings, he implemented the burghal system that ultimately nullified their expansion to the point that the decline began (but didn't end until much later). He was the first king to see the importance of general education and he fully envisioned a point at which he or his descendants could be rulers of a unified England with a centralised army. He was way ahead of his time and is the only monarch styled 'the great' for good reason.
The best way of viewing British behaviour for the final 90 minutes of 'Last Night of the Proms' is think ST:TOS 'Return of the Archons'. It's our night for flag waving rather than bashing each other as they did.
How can this be racist when the charter was about no one will be slaves in Britain and the fact we fought against slavery in all in the words so I'm glad you don't think it's racist but every one that do think it is hard luck.
It also has to be one of the biggest sing-a-longs in the world! There’s the Albert Hall, massive crowd in Hyde Park and concerts in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Last Night of the Proms is pantomime for grown-ups, with the addition of popular classical music, and why not. This year the Proms season starts on the 30th of July and finished on the 11th of September.
There were lots of other flags as well. This evening is inclusive of all nations, not just those of the UK. Any Americans in the audience for example would be expected to fly the Stars and Stripes as well. The Proms is a summer festival and the prices for the last night go sky high. The audience standing on the floor level, the promenaders,, still pay a cheap fee, but they have to have attended a certain number of the rest of the concerts of the Proms and then those who qualify are chosen by lottery. Of course, not all the soloists have been British either. At least two have been American, Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson who wore a jacket half union jack and half stars and stripes. Renée waved a dainty minature stars and stripes at the end of her stint. We've had a Russian, a German and a Peruvian, Juan Diego Flórez who dressed as an Inca prince. The first to set off this trend of innovative costumes was in 1985 when Sarah Walker revealed a gigantic Union Jack from one of the drapes of her dress. A friend of my wife's was making the dress so we were let into the secret early.
In complete agreement with you, it's always such a positive, cosmopolitan mood. I can't understand the accusations often made about the Last Night when every year flags from around the world are brought by music-lovers of every walk of life: Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, etc.. As far back as the 1994 Last Night I spotted a gay pride flag. It's a perfect example of a happy, inclusive event.
Definatly should do Alfred the Great. His fights against the Vikings, leading to his Grandson becoming the first King of England is very interesting. It's literally the beginning of the England you know of today.
A lot of other countries think this talking about ruling other nations but in fact it talking about the navy being able to go anywhere on the high sea and never fail to achieve its aims
So British, So many 'innings, the team declared before tea ! Nothing so vulgar as the suggest that we beat those Ossy twats, its simply Not Cricket. The 'Maiden over' , the 'Silly Mid-on' and the LBW, and all before Tea. Happy days..
If you liked the audience participation, take a look at the Fantasia on British Sea Songs (Last Night of the Proms) , where the audience competes against the orchestra.
Alfred the Great, King of Wessex defended Wessex against the Vikings. At one point his kingdom was reduced to a dry place in a swamp, but later, since 886, he could call himself King of the Anglo-Saxons. Some call him the first King of England.
Here is the Time Team episode on that dry place in the marshes: ua-cam.com/video/0Ypig2EyxHk/v-deo.html Well, Time Team is part of British (tv-)history itself. They did 3-day-archaeological digs for the BBC over more then 20 years, the one on King Alfred being the first one. And ten years later they came back to control their interpretation of Athelney.
I think his son united the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms and his Grandson was the first King of England, but he certainly inspired the concept of England with groups banding together to defeat raiders. He introduced the system of burghs (boroughs) as well as building ships capable of taking on the Vikings.
Therefore I said "some". But he named himself King of Anglo-Saxons, after conquering London. But I must admit, that I didn't want to explain the term 'Bretwalda'. And now I have to: A translation would be 'ruler of Britain'. The title was used for the most powerful of the Kings of Britain ruling there kingdoms in Britain at the same time. (simplified)
This song celebrated the Royal Navy becoming supreme at sea and policing the Mediterranian Sea and putting an end to Moorish pirates capturing Britons and other Europeans and selling them into slavery in the Ottoman Empire.
I can’t speak for everyone but iv been lucky enough to go to various prom nights (they are over several months) at the R A Hall, one you may enjoy was when they did various songs from west end theatre shows and the last night spent in Hyde park is such a good vibe, I usually go with around 20 friends and it’s such a blast, good company, good 🍔 good 🍷, good times
I live in Russia and annex my room to the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England now has a new county - enclave - Wintershire 🇬🇧☕🏴 God save the king!
there is a silent passion in all British hearts, it very seldom appears, but for certain times. ex, Princess Diana,s funeral, the World Cup, when UK is involved, Royal funerals, and when the underdog situations happen. ps, most of us hate it when animals are tortured. many charity donations also prove our true world wide concerns.
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Really good reaction SoGal
If you REALLY want to see what ENGLAND is about PLEASE watch both of these short videos, either of which, show what our REAL National Anthem should be, however much we Love The Queen..
"Land Of Hope And Glory -Last Night Of THe Proms 2009 AND "Last Night Of The Proms 2009-JERUSALEM "
We're not allowed to fly the St George flag because it's rascist appeantly......kind of how certain people over there get over the rebel flag
1 year the Jackson 5 performed at the proms, and they had Micheal on screen stage dancing, then Matilda the music theatre songs, various nights have various themes. It’s very eclectic and a great day/evening out with friends
I agree with everyone you really have to do _LAND OF HOPE AND GLORY_ from *Last Night Of The Proms...*
Great reaction 👏 ... please try to do "Land of Hope and Glory" from the Last night of the Proms
The telescope gag is a famous Nelsonian trope. Nelson was blind in one eye because of an old battle wound. At the Battle of Copenhagen his superior admiral ordered him (by flag signal) to withdraw. Nelson put the telescope to his blind eye and said he could see no signal to withdraw.
Nelson, 1 eyed 1 arm, he literally defeated the French singlehanded
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 noooo he noob
"I see no ships!"
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 1 eye, 1 arm, AND shorter than Naploeon!
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 One Eyed One Horned Flying Purple People Eater - sorry man, couldn't resist ^^
Self Deprecation is a very British thing, we don't mind taking the micky out of ourselves.
Quite agree, then what would I know I,m from Birkhenhead ( can't resist the Handforth parish council reference..still..)...E
thats what we do,and i,am welsh
The Proms season is about two months. ONLY on the last night of the Proms (second Saturday in September) is there audience participation, and you will notice many people dress up. ALL the other evenings are totally serious.
Other than a minority of idiots, we as a nation are still very patriotic. Well done on showing interest in the above.
I would say we LOVE taking the mickey out of ourselves ♥️
Last night of the proms is one of the few times British people wave their flag
Most of the time we tend not to be overt about our patriotism but that doesn't mean it isn't there.
@Janet Jones Having attended about 20 last nights and 1,000 proms ( I lost count ) I can tell you we always have flags of all nations waving with the Union Jack.
@Janet Jones Who are THEY ?
@@tortysoft the veritable boogieman of course. Reds under the bed and all that
@Janet Jones Well, where I teach, the environment and scientific advance are the top issues - at least in my classes. I'm a Green.
@Janet Jones I'd move if I felt as you do. It must be very nasty in your world. Try and improve it.
It's the last night of the proms, the last night is a far more relaxed affair when people come with the flags and dress up in silly costumes. The British also enjoy laughing at themselves this is a perfect example when we try not to take ourselves too seriously. Glad you enjoyed it.
Makes me proud to be British it's one of those occasions where we as a nation really show our patriotic side because we tend to be somewhat reserved compared to Americans.
I prefer it like this to be honest. I despise how openly patriotic Americans are all the time, I find it super obnoxious. Britons are patriotic, but we're closeted patriots, we don't need to put British flags on all our cars and houses, which is good imo.
We don't wear our heart on our sleeve. Doesn't mean we dont have one. People often underestimate us and make assumptions. We are extremely proud of our heritage.
@@johnyuki1691 Me too all that whooping and hollering, when really it was just ok...
@@johnyuki1691 it's not its called being proud of youre country its dying off in America now just as it is here generation's are being raised in the West to despise the places they are from.
Hey it might not be my ethnicity but it sure is my nationality. Rule Britannia 🏴
We have cool anthems
Very pleased you enjoyed this. Please listen to Land of Hope and Glory from the same concert. It is very moving and uplifting. Those who think being patriotic is racist can take their pathetic wokeness elsewhere. 🇬🇧
Hear, hear!
It is called is Pomp and Circumstance.
The Proms are the greatest classical musical festival in the world. For two months the audience listen in respectful silence. The Last Night of the Proms is party time! Full on audience participation. The vast majority of British people remain fiercely patriotic. It is only a vociferous woke minority who try to discourage patriotism.
One does not use the term "Woke" in polite Society. It is usually only used by Fascists.
@@petergaskin1811 Really Peter?! I hadn't got that particular memo. Or perhaps I am just a fascist. (I take it it's polite to call someone a fascist?) So what is the word one should use to describe such people in polite society nowadays?
@@petergaskin1811 No Peter, woke is used by those who understand the terror that narcissistic psychopathic Marxists want inflict on people. People who are woke are generally disgusting on multiple levels. The woke make the world a worse place to live.
Patriotism has nothing much to do with having great fun - we are there for the music - even on the last night, but I'm always hoarse afterwards !
@@mikefish8226 The definition of woke is "alert to injustice in society, especially racism". If you are against being woke, against being aware of injustice in society, then you are a really nasty piece of work.
We might be a little country but we are so proud of it!!!! we are amazing!
Some of us are... and I agree wholeheartedly.. 🏴🇬🇧👍
Wish I was British.
You should react to land of hope and glory/Elgin's pomp and circumstance and maybe Jerusalem.
Agreed. I'd also add the orchestral version of I vow to thee my Country, adapted from Holst's Planets suite. Its used in a video of Winston Churchill's funeral which makes the hairs on my back stand up just thinking of it.
I would add also Handel's zadok the priest. Sends shivers down my spine every single time I hear it plus it is mentioned in the video being played for the first time at George ii's coronation.
@@YorkshireScott Zadok the Priest was the first piece on the agenda when I attended my first rehearsal for the school choir, and it made a huge impact on me. I've sung it many times since, but the novelty never wears off, and it still gives me chills :)
@@YorkshireScott Yeah Zadok the Priest is so good it even inspired the Champions League football anthem. Play Zadok to most kids that love football and they will ask if its champions league!
@@PaulBlencowe May I second that suggestion :-)
It's just nuts how good this rendition is. Hard to find something more patriotic really. Cheers from Sweden, very well performed!
The Proms are a serious classical music festival except for the Last Night. That's full of stuff like this. I think there's a sense that our patriotism is part tongue in cheek/part dead serious. Al Murray's comedy is a prime example of this. We know that taking over the world wasn't exactly a nice thing to do but we also know we did it very, very well - and with fetching uniforms ;)
We hardly have patriotism really. And the former empire is of more interest to people from abroad than to us.
The proms are not meant to be serious, it was started by a person i can’t recall at present sorry. He wanted everybody to hear classical music as the higher classes did, that’s why it’s tickets are very cheap & now last around 9wks. It’s taken on a life of its own which now includes modern pop music as well.
@@stevenredmond7455 The person you can't remember is Sir Henry Wood. Look him up.
England ended Slave trade so not so bad unlike USA which treats it Blacks like we still slaves
"We know that taking over the world wasn't exactly a nice thing to do but we also know we did it very, very well - and with fetching uniforms" - You, Sir, just won the internet. Well done!
Sogal glad you enjoyed. Love your pod casts
The Proms are a series of around eight weeks of serious classical music performances over summer. The Last Night is a lot more relaxed and typically has a series of patriotic type songs. Worth watching a more extended version to get the full extent of audience participation on the Last Night.
not all classical music .
Yes,and if you go to all of the Promenade concerts,you get to stand in the centre of the Albert Hall,as one of the 'Promenaders
Still gives me butterflies in the stomach every time here this .....absolutely amazing
You have earned the right to be an honorary Brit. I love watching you journey through our countries history.
Imagine something like this, that goes so deep into our culture being told it is now something wrong, and we need to stop it. The world has gone made with political correctness.
Your face was a picture when you finally recognised the song!! 😎
Tell that to the BBC, they're the ones who wanted to cancel this song.
Political correctness - The first shackles of slavery, never let anyone stop you being yourself.
Admiral Nelson was our greatest naval hero Sarah Connelly is a Dame of the British empire and patriotism is alive and well in our country we do pomp and cerermony better than anyone else I'm very proud to be British and be the descendant of those who fought for our freedom xx
Next thing you know Vera Lynn will be getting cancelled since someone is offended that she has 2 first names or something. We really aren't allowed to have our own culture are we
Ok quote exactly who wants to stop this?
It’s not a thing people want.
I was in Hyde Park for this and what an incredible night it was. The swell of patriotism it stirs up is quite something :) 🇬🇧
once the racist slur is totally assigned to history, then, folk with race issues, will have to explain what their true objections are. then, the excuse to start riots, has to be justified. on a positive side, Hong Kong subjects face real threats when fighting for free speech.
That reaction warmed my heart this morning,thank you.
Perfect objective way to go into a topic. Ignore the current trend, learn and make an informed choice for yourself. The perfect way to look at history.
Totally agree with your comment.
@@billbarton9046
Yup !!
If you want to continue on the UK theme - you should feature "Jerusalem" by Wm Blake. This is the unofficial national anthem for England
I know all the words to this unlike many other more supposedly more patriotic songs. To be fair unless I sing along I couldn't recite the national anthem. As soon as its playing and people are singing I remember it,but it just doesn't connect for me where as I could write down Jerusalem now word for word .
Land of Hope and Glory is the official national anthem of England.
lol as Michael Flanders pointed out, our unofficial anthem is named after a city in another county!
Pomp & Circumstance should also go on the list.
the singer is Dame Sarah Connolly, one of the foremost British operatic mezzo-sopranos, who specialises in Baroque operas and particularly in the "trouser roles", many of which were written for "Castrati" (which is exactly what you think it is), such as Handel's Julius Caesar, and later "trouser roles" such as Sesto in Mozart's La Clemenza di Tito and Octavian in Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier.
I love it that no matter what they are singing British crowds are always pitch perfect. Even outside of Wales. Listen to Bryn Terfel sing it in Welsh
Welch is a very hard language to understand!
A lot of people who aren't necessarily into classical and opera, love the last night of the proms. My dad took me when I was little, I'm 58 now, You really should look for a full show. I would gladly sit with you and enjoy it together as you react...loved this video so much..thanks SoGal.....x
22:00 That pretty much sums up the British mentality in a nutshell, we take ourselves and our history seriously all while poking fun at the ridiculousness of doing so, and in so doing wind up not taking ourselves all that seriously at all. Its the same undercurrent you see in Al Murray's stand-up, and the writings of Terry Pratchett, and its something of a national pasttime we all engage in during banter between our constituent nations. Its an art, really.
People do die from Cricket balls. They are sometimes bowled around 100mph and it's like a ball of concrete wrapped in leather. It's why cricketers wear pads and helmets.
Yeah between baseball and cricket, cricket is by far the more dangerous sport.
(Baseball just to give a comparison sport)
And boxes in their pants
A cricket ball is harder than a baseball, the two balls are similar though as a cricketer invented baseball, a shorter easier game to play
Phillip Hughes died not long ago died even wearing a helmet
@@toker6664 yeah I remember that. Very very tragic and sad. For the bowler too.
Thank you . It was cancelled last year for not being 'woke' enough and too emperialistic - but there was such a backlash that they had to reinstate it. Thank Goodness. It is part of our history.
It was cancelled because of Covid concerns!
Look at backlash they got though 🤣
These woke pricks need held under water
No it wasn’t, it was cancelled coz the Queen died.
@@davidknowles3459God forbid facts get in the way of conservatives playing the victim lol
Told you! Sarah Connolly is now a Dame. The second half of The Last Night is a real party hence the levity. It kicks off with Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 which you’ll probably recognise as it’s used in US graduation ceremonies, or at least what we in the U.K. know as ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ (someone added the words to Elgar’s tune - reportedly he wasn’t best pleased by the addition). The quiet dignity of the graduation tune gives way to the full throated roar of the Albert Hall (and elsewhere as you noted) audience. ‘Rule Britannia’ forms the climax of Sir Henry Woods (founder of the Proms - a bust of him is positioned at the rear of the orchestra and on the Last Night the Promenaders adorn him with a Laurel wreath) ‘Fantasia on British Sea Songs’ which features plenty of tunes you’ll probably recognise and has the audience faux weeping/dabbing their eyes with handkerchiefs at ‘Tom Bowling’ and especially ‘There’s No Place Like Home’. There’s also a raucous orchestra/audience race/competition through ‘The Sailor’s Hornpipe’ - not your standard classical experience by any stretch of the imagination. The conductor then delivers the Proms closing speech and the evening concludes with ‘Jerusalem’ - Britain’s second, unofficial, national anthem if you ask me - Britten’s arrangement of ‘God Save The Queen’ which features two verses, the first, well known one, sung oddly quietly, the second delivered with more gusto (they don’t sing the verse about wiping out the Scots, now that IS wildly racist!) and finish with Auld Lang Syne. All these are on You Tube somewhere, with myriad versions of Rule Britannia - one video rolls about ten years worth of performances of RB into the one piece,
Tickets for the Last Night are tough to obtain. They used to be distributed first to those who had something like an 80% attendance over the season. Given that there are several concerts a day, every day for eight weeks, that’s a lot of concerts. And money, although the idea of the Promenade Concerts was you could walk up and buy a ticket cheaply and stand in the Albert Hall - if you look carefully, the audience in front of the orchestra, are standing. To a point it’s still the case today. But I think you have more chance of getting a pet unicorn than a Last Night ticket. I’d still love to go though….
Funny story - many years ago we went on a trip to China. Curious to experience what the Chinese watch on TV I casually switched on the TV in the hotel room and literally the first thing that came on was a recording of the BBC’s ‘Last Night of The Proms’ broadcast!
I see below it’s not 80%. Whatever number of concerts you have to attend, I guess it makes it rather London-centric.
Jerusalem is usually associated with England rather than British experience ?
Jerusalem - how I love that song. Never though have I heard it described as an unofficial British national anthem. Rather it is widely regarded as the unofficial English national anthem. Especially by England's national rugby and cricket teams.
@@Bridgejunky2 and Nick Brough. Yes, England more specifically - my bad. Fingers working separately to brain.
I particularly like the 1921 Hymm 'I Vow to Thee, my Country'. I have always loved Gustav Holst's piece, 'Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity', and as an Australian it has always seemed very British, and very patriotic, and after some research I realised that it it is because it is music the Hymm was set to.
I also really like Edward Elgar's 1901 piece 'Land of Hope and Glory'. It always seems to me to have something to do with British sport.
When it comes to patriotism, we British don't have the "always-on" level of patriotism of the US, but it comes out very strongly at specific events like the Last Night of the Proms and in Sports (especially football).
Part of this is because we're just generally more reserved, but it is also because it modern times some patriotic symbols have been co-opted and become associated with far-right racist nationalism. So in normal times if you had an English flag on your house people would question it, but when the football's on it is quite normal.
Or holding up gold shipments in Turin, Italy. :-)
ua-cam.com/video/bPpgg5rwxpA/v-deo.html
@@andrewcharles459 😂😂
Bloody weird that.
English people are the most patriotic when it comes to football, atleast in western europe
Unfortunately it becomes a self fulfilling spiral. Fewer people sport the flag outside of events like this, apart from those far right groups, further reinforcing the association
King Alfred the Great was king of the kingdom of Wessex, when England was divided into several kingdoms. He led his armies into successful victories over the occupying Vikings, and was arguably the earliest or biggest proponent of a United England as one kingdom. Deeply religious and a great king.
but as a cook, he failed miserably... or he was the first to invent toast...lol
King Alfred, aka Alfred the Great, was an Anglo Saxon king born in 849 AD and spent most of his reign fighting the vikings to take back Wessex which he eventually did.
He also formed the idea of combining the four kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria into one Kingdom called England although this wasn't completed in his life time and took another two generations. He's also famous for his legal reforms and advocacy of learning and education.
He is also credited with building the first credible British navy, with vessels big enough to outclass the Viking longships.
Alfred 'the Great' what ?
Good King Alfred, by ancient folk law... BURNED THE CAKES.
Instant immortality,
Still, the Command of King Canute is a bit questionable.
Allegedly, he sat in his deckchair on the beach and Commanded the Tide NOT to come in.
Wise observers of history and astrological phenomenon will appreciate what happened next.
@@speleokeir
I thought it was because he was obsessed with sex.
ESSEX, MIDDLESEX, SUSSEX,
4 EX !
@@oldgitsknowstuff sex comes from seaxe. Essex for example came from the word Ēastseaxe, meaning east Saxons
Sarah Connoly is dressed as Admiral Lord Nelson (the fact that Nelson was wearing all his medals at the Battle of Trafalgar is sometimes given as the reason that the French sniper could identify him as a target.) The medal around her neck is a facsimile of the Naval Gold Medal -I think that, in fact, Nelson had three of these.
It's a shame british patriotism is seen as racist or far right, people should be allowed to be proud of where they come from without the accusation of racism or extremism. But I think most brits hide their patriotism for "socially" acceptable times, because when a brit shows any sort of pride in their country they get bombarded with allegations and the nice people of the Internet teach us about OUR history as if we don't know it and get told how evil Britain is. And God forbid you are english, your basicly classed as the devil him self for some reason.
the scots, welsh and Irish are allowed to be patriotic, just the English who are accused of racism if they do the same
@@nathansellars3757 well when people like to talk about brits being bad we all know they mean english. Also the english are the only ones in the uk that if we have a national party it's "racist" but the rest of the uk can have one, not that I want one, but it's very hypocritical.
The problem with the 'history' that some lecture us with is that it's always missing out the full story, even lying. Just for the sake of internal propaganda or spreading hatred.
@@starrynight1657 even though I admit some of our history is very unsavoury it's not fair to paint us all with the same brush, we are not those people who did those things. You can go back in any countrys past and find history that is seen as evil or bad, we were just the biggest and last true empire so we are looked down on, were as Egypt, Greece and romans are seen as great and revolutionary.
People should be proud for their history, not birthplace..
And Brits have great history..
To stand even once as a Prommer in the the Arena (that's the official name for the floor area) on a Last Night is a true honour and privilege... I have been extremely lucky to have been at three Last Nights - 2015, 2017 and 2018 when the legend that is Sir Andrew Davis returned for one more Last Night
You should try to come to one
Well this brought a tear to my eye. My father and I went to the last night of the proms several times and when we couldn't go for some reason, I'd go to his house to watch it on tv with him. My dad died 25 years ago and I've never been able to bring myself to watch it since. Maybe I will next time...
It's so nice that you, as an American and not a Brit, are looking into this with an open minded interest in history. With out people such as your self, history will become lost.
When the chorus comes on I have a shiver of proud patriotism
So glad you enjoyed it, and pleased you're interested in world and especially British culture and history ♥️
The realisation on your face when you knew what the song actually was - priceless ^^
"Oh that's The British Bulldog Davey Boy Smith's WWF entrance theme!" well, at least that was me back when I first discovered it back in the days lol.
Alfred fought, and eventually defeated the vikings and stopped their expansion in England.
And then they all came back and became king again
@@logan8638 And then Alfred's grandson, Athelstan, got rid of them and became the first King of England. (Alfred, of course had only been King of Wessex).
@@Walthur13 henry 2
@@Walthur13 true.. I thought it was his son who formed England. They should make a film about Alfred
Alfred’s daughter Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians (c. 870 - 12 June 918) ruled Mercia in the English Midlands from 911 until her death. She was highly respected and the one responsible for negotiating peace treaties amongst other tribes in creating a Kingdom of England.
You should watch more of the last night of the proms particularly “Land of Hope and glory” (known in the US as the graduation march also the sailors hornpipe which gets faster and faster as they play it. They are called “Proms” because of the large group of people who are standing and walking (or promenading) near the orchestra it got nothing to do with a school prom
Its called proms after promenades which took place in the gardens where they were first performed.
A few years ago I heard that one of the Scandinavian countries (I think it was Sweden) decided to have a "Proms" season of classical music each year, ending with their own "Last Night".The local television broadcaster had been relaying live broadcasts of the Last Night for years, so music lovers there knew what it was all about. So the Proms season came and finished with their Last Night. A lot of the audience, both those physically attending and watching on television complained because their Last Night didn't contain Land of Hope and Glory, Jerusalem or Rule Britannia, all British or English patriotic songs, and staples of the British Last Night.
Thats classic, if true :)
Now curiously enough in 1996 I was in Stockholm for a 'dirty weekend' with my future wife and we went to some Swedish equivalent of "Proms in the Park". The evening concluded with a rendition of "Land of Hope and Glory". I was stunned but impressed.
I'm Swedish and I have never heard of that story. However last night of the proms is broadcast every year live on national television and I make sure to not miss at least the last hour with this gem and land of hope and glory 🙂
I'm English and very proud of my country. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I'm very proud of our history, our self deprecating sense of humour, our NHS our Queen and I love Last Night of the Proms, I always watch it on TV and sing along, its wonderful. What you have to understand about us brits is that we are *very* comfortable in our own skin, so comfortable in fact that we have a self deprecating sense of humour, which people from other countries dont 'get'. We take the mickey out of ourselves and others, its a fact that the more we take the mickey, the more we like you.
Hi Matey. The Royal Albert Hall is the most amazing place to go and see anything. I have been on the floor and up in the "Gods!" That is so steep that if you have a fear of hights you do not want to be there. Greetings from Yorkshire. Take care. John.x
I used to work for a firm of QS's and Facilities Managers. I Project Managed the building of a couple of Bars and of the telescopic gantry system for cleaning the Copper roof. You can walk inside the Roof Structure and at the centre of the internal ceiling is a circular grille. From inside the roof you can look down through the grille to the floor below.
21:08 The slight ritardando on the last go of the chorus, to allow the organ to go full welly……chef’s kiss!
I did the Last Night about 10 times and it is an absolute riot, albeit one best enjoyed after a considerable quantity of alcohol! The Proms is a very serious classical music festival that runs for 7 weeks from mid-July to mid-September. All the concerts are serious and include visits from a number of the leading world orchestras. The Last Night is, in effect, the "end of term party" for those who have attended the rest of the concerts. Indeed, there is a requirement to have attended at least six concerts in the season before you can apply for a Last night ticket. The distinctive character of the proms derives not least from the c.1000 standing places on the central floor of the Royal Albert Hall (the Arena) and high up in the Gallery. These "promenading" or "promming" tickets are very cheap (£6-7) and have been a feature of the concerts since they started in the 1890s and the promenaders are famous for their attentiveness during the serious concerts. After 7 weeks of intense concert-going, the last night is a party that allows the promenaders and audience a chance to let their hair down and have fun, joining in the singing, chanting messages to the conductor and orchestra and generally having a wild old time!
Love the proms... Its a little bit of national pride that any resident or visitor can be a part of.. Its silly , its fun.. Its harmless and we love it...
20:07 She's wearing the uniform of Admiral Nelson so I'm assuming she's wearing the naval gold medal, handed out during the Napoleonic wars and the Anglo-American wars of 1812. If it is that medal it depicts Britannia. Britannia is the national personification of Britain. War medals were originally worn in a similar manner to the way in which sports medals are worn today, pinning them to your chest is a later innovation.
I love your channel keep up the great stuff!!!!!
The Patriot movement started in the British Parliament as a branch of the Whig Party. They were opposed mostly by the Tory Party.
Patriot back then meant ‘A factious disturber of government’ or the reverse of the modern meaning.
Patriots were Liberals and later became the Liberal Party. Liberalism = ‘A political and social philosophy that promotes individual rights, civil liberties, democracy and free enterprise’. they campaigned to end the slave trade in the Empire and around the world (slavery in England having been illegal since the 11th century).
This conflict between Patriot and Tory spread to the colonies. British Patriots supported independence in parliament whilst others went to fight for Washington. Thomas Paine the political writer and propagandist was a British Patriot.
Please google ‘Victory Arch Parlington Hall Yorkshire’. This monument was built in 1783 to celebrate American Independence.
However one of the strange twists of history is that American Patriots having gained independence became even more Tory than the Tories. The new USA built slavery into the constitution and limited voters to the White property owning class or just 6% of the population. America became less democratic and with fewer liberties. It remains a Tory Republic to this day.
Such a shame the modern use of the word Liberal has been corrupted
Hi SoCal! The two videos you posted so well; Rule Britannia and Pomp & Circumstance (Land of Hope & Glory) are actually songs on the same central theme. That theme is NOT about Empire though they were written during the Second Empire and the greater Victorian/Edwardian Third Empire. Both songs were about “FREEDOM”; the most cherish God given right. Follow me: Alfred the Great, King of Wessex, slowly took the whole of England back from the Danes and Vikings to become the first King of England. He cherish “freedom”, and the “Witan” (The primitive Parliament of the Aldermen (Elders), and Bishops) who “checked and balanced” the power of the King to insure Freedom of the realm. The Spanish Armadas (several of them) attempted to England’s sovereignty. Later Napoleon tried to conquer the United Kingdom. The fight for Freedom inspired these songs. The “mighty” of the UK is not her Empire, but the spread of the ideals of her cherish freedoms and free market economics that made the Great Empire possible, and the spread of free markets and religion (From the reformation onward) was to be celebrated. Now SoCal you see how American songs and praise are a continuation of America’s British Heritage. As a British citizen who recently acquired the honour of becoming an American citizenship, I’m here to help answer questions. Cheers, and thank you.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_(Arne_opera)
The last night of the proms has a huge live audience, not only indoors, but parks all over the UK are packed with people joining in.
God I love British patriotism 🇬🇧
God save the Queen and forever may she reign ❤️🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
For the last few years the Last Night has been simul-cast to various locations throughout the UK. Another great one from the Last Night is the Fantasia on British Sea Songs .... particularly The Hornpipe !.
I love Tom Bowling. Makes me cry.
Strangely enough, the term “patriots” as far as the American War of Independence is concerned is a misnomer. Those who opposed the Crown were rebels and patriots were those who remained true to the Crown as America at that time was a British colony. I am not arguing that the rebels were wrong to throw off the oppressive English yoke, but simply that the terminology is disingenuous.
Well, there is an interesting episode of "A History of Britain" about the causes for the war.
@@EK-gr9gd I personally believe the American colonists had good reason to secede from Britain. There are many egregious things that the people under George III were doing at that time, and I won’t go into detail as it’s there in the history books. Let us not forget that George III who was suffering from madness caused by the genetic disease porphyria as the Royal line was too interbred in the Hanoverians. Some dispute the cause, some favour general paresis a result of tertiary syphilis which might have been passed in utero. The result was madness requiring a Regent his son George (later to become George IV) to be available in his stead. George III was an absolutist and ended up in many bust ups with Parliament, especially by attempting to tax the colonies. So it was an inevitability that the Americans would secede. My point is the terminology that Americans use to describe themselves as patriots (This would mean those who still swore allegiance to the Crown). In truth prior to secession they were rebels. We British at that time were overstretched with the colonies across the globe. Then came the French Revolution and eventually the little bully Bonaparte. Thanks to these other factors the American Revolution succeeded as the French did everything in their power to thwart the British. History could have been very different, though had it not happened then it would have happened. A lesson can be learned from the hubris of the British then as the sun did eventually set on the British Empire. The USA at present has much the same hubris and history always repeats itself because we seem as a species to be completely unable to learn from the lessons of the past.
Land of Hope and Glory should be the English National Anthem. The Scots have "Flower of Scotland", the Welsh have "Land of my Fathers". Yes I know the UK has God Save the Queen, but I fail to see how "Jerusalem" can be the English Anthem. Land of Hope and Glory is much more stirring!
ua-cam.com/video/vpEWpK_Dl7M/v-deo.html
From the same Proms in 2009
I think it has been used as the English national anthem in some Rugby League internationals but not sure if that still happens.
Now I know that there will be some contributors who might disagree....but....in my humble opinion....wait for it.....
The Russian national anthem, from the perspective of an inspirational piece of music, takes a top 10 place on the national anthems 'Hit parade.
And I hate Communists !
Sorry communists.
As for a new nation anthem I recon the thunderbirds tune could be in with a shout of maybe the archers music
Thanks for sharing your reaction to this SoGal. Take care.
Cricket is indeed, a serious and deadly sport. :D
I agree with Al Murray’s Pub Landlord, who describes cricket as a homosexual martial art! 😆
It's very touching that you want to learn about British history and culture, and are taking the trouble to do it properly, and with an open mind.
The Proms are great. It's patriotism done right, not to be mistaken with the nationalism that the political far-right is aligned with. I also love the fact that someone brought a Jolly Roger to wave in the outdoor crowd. British humor at its best. :)
Patriotism isn’t far right but it is true that right of centre people have more respect for tradition.
Not sure I'd agree. Right of centre people don't respect tradition. They abuse it as a way of resisting change and enforcing conformity. Which is kind of ironic, given thar the era they harken back to saw the greatest change in the world that led to the greatness of Britain that we celebrate today.
There's no respect there.
@@guywilletts2804 yes and it’s funny now that although Britain has a conservative government the number of institutions falling under control of far left ideologues is increasing. The bbc being a notable one. The fact that they tried to remove land of hope and glory demonstrates exactly what the left think about tradition and patriotism. Only the far left though. I don’t think the far right pose as much of a threat at the moment.
@@lobbyskids2 You are talking utter rubbish. Look at who the DG is. Far left my arse. If you look at the coverage that politicians get on the BBC, you will see that the right-wing ones get much more positive coverage than those on the left. The BBC is centerist at the most, and generally centre-right.
"I don’t think the far right pose as much of a threat at the moment" Murdered Labour MP, SNP MP having to leave her home due to death threats, homohobic and islamaphobic hate crimes on the rise. All right-wing actions. I would be interested to know what threats you think the "far left" pose at the moment.
@@gregoryclark8217 the reason there is a right leaning dg is because the bbc is suffering the backlash of its woke programming. People are cancelling their licences in droves you would have to be blind not to see that. Just go on iPlayer and look at all the programs it’s utter woke nonsense.
As for the murder of Jo cox it was a random nutter and nothing to do with any organised political organisation.
Did you not see the crowds of thugs marching through our capitol city streets, desecrating war memorials and burning British flags.
What about our education system trying to decolonize the curriculum. Teaching our kids that they live in an especially evil country and teaching white children that they are born with the original sin of privilege.
The left are reversing all the hard work that has been done to promote racial harmony in this country.
People are absolutely sick of it and that is why we have a conservative government even though people hate them they hate the left more.
Bloody beautiful that!
Thank you 🍻
Royal Navy uniforms were navy blue, but Marines wore redcoats.
Just like Star Trek
navy blue I guess the clue is in the name
And were known by the sailors as blood red roses.
@@helenwood8482 Red was originally the colour of the parlamentarian forces in the English Civil War. The royalist mainly wore blue.
The most sad thing about people thinking that this song is rassisist, is that it's the exact opposite. It's saying that anyone in Britain cannot be a slave, something first said in the mid 1500's & this means everyone, including an escaped slave in the 1600's,who was judged in court that he couldn't be a slave in the UK as "the air was too pure for anyone to be a slave" in Britain. The lack of education & the forgetting of history means confusion like this is sadly more & more common. As said here, it also refers back 2000 years to actual early Britains being enslaved, so any attempt to cancel this actual cancels important history, say NO at all costs!
There are several good videos of Last Night at the Proms which is basically a huge patriotic event, It always ends with Rule Britannia, Jerusalem, Land of Hope and Glory and God Save the queen. It is very stirring if you are patriotic. It is one night when British reserve comes down and we do let our patriotism out. Last night at the proms is in early September
the proms are a serious celebration to classical music but the last night is a more relaxed and fun night .the proms are from 30th july to 11th september
"I vow to thee, my country" is a better patriotic song and I will die on that hill lol - should be our national anthem!
I agree that's it's the better hymn but I don't think it should be our national anthem because I vow to thee my country is used as a remembrance hymn to remember and honour our war dead using it as a national anthem would take away from that.
What we need is a completely new song one that has no history that can be misinterpreted, one that can be made to represent the whole union all four countries and all Britons regardless of their history.
Gonna have to disagree with you there Rule Britannia is objectively better, just my opinion of course.
Nah to two slow and down beat for that. That's why its placed so much at funerals.
I vote for god save the queen; by the sex pistols.
@@antonymash9586 🤣🤣🤣
Watching you react to the Last Night of the Proms performance was a joy. In fact that’s the word for the whole event….it is joyous…if that’s the shape of patriotism, we should be allowed to enjoy the fun of it….and the fact that the BBC were forced to backtrack on a plan to have an instrumental version only at last year’s proms, for political reasons, was a blow for the freedom to have fun….
Thank you so much for this….
Its definitely worth watching some more stuff from the Proms. It's an amazing music event with performances from places all around the commonwealth. The last night is definitely the best night. Jerusalem, rule Britania, pomp and circumstances. Its definitely an amazing event.
Alfred the Great usually isn't counted among English monarchs as he was king of Wessex rather than a unified England (one of the Anglo Saxon heptarchy that made up the country at the time).
That being said, he was unique. He was the first king of the Anglo Saxon era to buck the trend of being a warrior king and became a trendsetter in improving the infrastructure and organisation of the government. He suffered various health issues so rarely took the field himself but, in tackling the vikings, he implemented the burghal system that ultimately nullified their expansion to the point that the decline began (but didn't end until much later).
He was the first king to see the importance of general education and he fully envisioned a point at which he or his descendants could be rulers of a unified England with a centralised army. He was way ahead of his time and is the only monarch styled 'the great' for good reason.
The “firecrackers” are set off by random people. It’s their way of adding to the occasion.
The best way of viewing British behaviour for the final 90 minutes of 'Last Night of the Proms' is think ST:TOS 'Return of the Archons'.
It's our night for flag waving rather than bashing each other as they did.
How can this be racist when the charter was about no one will be slaves in Britain and the fact we fought against slavery in all in the words so I'm glad you don't think it's racist but every one that do think it is hard luck.
It also has to be one of the biggest sing-a-longs in the world! There’s the Albert Hall, massive crowd in Hyde Park and concerts in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Last Night of the Proms is pantomime for grown-ups, with the addition of popular classical music, and why not. This year the Proms season starts on the 30th of July and finished on the 11th of September.
There were lots of other flags as well. This evening is inclusive of all nations, not just those of the UK. Any Americans in the audience for example would be expected to fly the Stars and Stripes as well. The Proms is a summer festival and the prices for the last night go sky high. The audience standing on the floor level, the promenaders,, still pay a cheap fee, but they have to have attended a certain number of the rest of the concerts of the Proms and then those who qualify are chosen by lottery.
Of course, not all the soloists have been British either. At least two have been American, Renée Fleming and Thomas Hampson who wore a jacket half union jack and half stars and stripes. Renée waved a dainty minature stars and stripes at the end of her stint. We've had a Russian, a German and a Peruvian, Juan Diego Flórez who dressed as an Inca prince. The first to set off this trend of innovative costumes was in 1985 when Sarah Walker revealed a gigantic Union Jack from one of the drapes of her dress. A friend of my wife's was making the dress so we were let into the secret early.
In complete agreement with you, it's always such a positive, cosmopolitan mood. I can't understand the accusations often made about the Last Night when every year flags from around the world are brought by music-lovers of every walk of life: Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, Ireland, Canada, etc.. As far back as the 1994 Last Night I spotted a gay pride flag. It's a perfect example of a happy, inclusive event.
I love last night of the proms
On my bucket list.😀
The 2009 Connelly version is my favorite! So glad you had it on here.
I love your reactions keep them coming
Definatly should do Alfred the Great. His fights against the Vikings, leading to his Grandson becoming the first King of England is very interesting. It's literally the beginning of the England you know of today.
Did a nice cake too.
@@brucemckean2848
Don't let him in MY kitchen🥴
Btw. It's a miniature of Emma, Lady Hamilton ... Nelson's 'bit on the side'. :-)
I think this is utterly fabulous, she is brilliant, loved it!
We Brits take our fun very seriously!
Thank you very much for posting another enjoyable video. (Must go: need to look up that death by cricket ball!)
A lot of other countries think this talking about ruling other nations but in fact it talking about the navy being able to go anywhere on the high sea and never fail to achieve its aims
9:06 I can't imagine a more English way to die than being hit by a cricket ball :)
Since 1624 seventeen people are reported to have died while playing cricket, so I’d say the Prince of Wales was extremely unlucky.
Whilst reading the Times and holding a cup of tea
So British,
So many 'innings, the team declared before tea !
Nothing so vulgar as the suggest that we beat those Ossy twats, its simply Not Cricket.
The 'Maiden over' , the 'Silly Mid-on' and the LBW, and all before Tea.
Happy days..
Heads up - "Auntie" (the BBC) will be coming for that Proms footage.. ❤🇬🇧🇺🇸🇨🇦🇭🇲🇳🇿❤
If you liked the audience participation, take a look at the Fantasia on British Sea Songs (Last Night of the Proms)
, where the audience competes against the orchestra.
I remember when Andrew Davis would never be "satisfied" with the audience and made them do the Hornpipe three or four times in a row
The proms are usually July, August, September. The BBC cover every performance and you can catch up on previous years on UA-cam.
Great fun and great music! We in Britain should wave our flags more!
Dame Sarah Connelly received the honour of Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen; that’s her own medal she’s wearing.
Alfred the Great, King of Wessex defended Wessex against the Vikings. At one point his kingdom was reduced to a dry place in a swamp, but later, since 886, he could call himself King of the Anglo-Saxons. Some call him the first King of England.
Here is the Time Team episode on that dry place in the marshes: ua-cam.com/video/0Ypig2EyxHk/v-deo.html
Well, Time Team is part of British (tv-)history itself. They did 3-day-archaeological digs for the BBC over more then 20 years, the one on King Alfred being the first one. And ten years later they came back to control their interpretation of Athelney.
I think his son united the Anglo Saxon Kingdoms and his Grandson was the first King of England, but he certainly inspired the concept of England with groups banding together to defeat raiders. He introduced the system of burghs (boroughs) as well as building ships capable of taking on the Vikings.
Therefore I said "some". But he named himself King of Anglo-Saxons, after conquering London. But I must admit, that I didn't want to explain the term 'Bretwalda'. And now I have to: A translation would be 'ruler of Britain'. The title was used for the most powerful of the Kings of Britain ruling there kingdoms in Britain at the same time. (simplified)
I love you reaction when you hear "rule britannia, britannia rule the waves"
Please listen to Bryn Terfel singing 'Rule Britania' in Welsh at the Last Night of the Proms.
This song celebrated the Royal Navy becoming supreme at sea and policing the Mediterranian Sea and putting an end to Moorish pirates capturing Britons and other Europeans and selling them into slavery in the Ottoman Empire.
If you look around you will see the flags of other European nations too.
I can’t speak for everyone but iv been lucky enough to go to various prom nights (they are over several months) at the R A Hall, one you may enjoy was when they did various songs from west end theatre shows and the last night spent in Hyde park is such a good vibe, I usually go with around 20 friends and it’s such a blast, good company, good 🍔 good 🍷, good times
Looks like such a lovely time had by all. Wonderful scenes
If you want to see more of last night of the proms I would very much like to see an american react to Pomp and Cirumstance! :)
I live in Russia and annex my room to the United Kingdom of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England now has a new county - enclave - Wintershire 🇬🇧☕🏴 God save the king!
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE you must react to land of hope and glory/Elgin's pomp and circumstance and maybe Jerusalem.
It's Elgar. Have you lost your marbles? 🤣
@@missusgumby 😂. I see what you did there👍🏻😂
@@sandraback7809 Glad I could be of help. 😃
@@missusgumby 😁
there is a silent passion in all British hearts, it very seldom appears, but for certain times. ex, Princess Diana,s funeral, the World Cup, when UK is involved, Royal funerals, and when the underdog situations happen. ps, most of us hate it when animals are tortured. many charity donations also prove our true world wide concerns.