General Chat

Anyone watching. We have a German singer singing rule Britannia which we found a bit strange.'Britain rules the waves!' Really? Maybe once, not any more! Good sing along though, loved the Sound of Music part.

Bit disappointed, Ann.

In what Gwynne? The sound of music?

Yes. I'm a bit of a traditionalist. I like The Proms to be classical.

Yes it was unusual but the last night diesn't always stick to classics. Thought that pianist.... benjamin Grosvenor, was very good.

I loved it and particularly the 23 yr. old pianist, Benjamin Grosvenor. What a talented young man he is.

He was but I don't think the orchestra really could "swing". Not their style in that part.

Interesting but only 5/10 from me.

I suppose they can't please us all, I enjoyed it, I like some classical but not all and only ever watch the last night for that reason. Love to see all the people joining in the singing as well. I do like that conductor too, She is very down to earth.

I really enjoyed the night. I, too, only ever watch the last night. The only thing that puzzled me tonight ....and I might be wrong in this....but I'm sure it isn't the 50th anniversary of the Sound of Music film. I know I saw it on holiday with a school friend and her family in Woolacombe in Devon when I was either 14 or 15 (definitely before I left school) and I'm over 65. ???

EDIT - I've just googled and it appears I'm wrong. Must be losing my marbles

Kath. x :-S

9/10 for me - I had to switch off that modern composer stuff (sorry, can't be more specific, too tired) in the first half. The conductor was fantastic - I listened to her being interviewed on the radio this morning (or was it yesterday, lol) and she started learning to play the piano at age 2, then went on to the violin at age 6. When she went to a concert with her father when she was 9, as she watched the conductor, she turned to her father and told him that is what she would like to do.

It was better tonight without all those noisy trumpet thingies that previous members of the audience have played, which I think spoilt it.

I enjoyed it and had a little weep when You are my hearts delight was sung as it was my mother's favourite ...and I actually saw Richard Tauber in Land of Smiles when I was little.Mum used to take me to a lot of musicals.
I thought it was good.I always enjoy the last night,but I have watched one or two if my favourite composers have been featured.
Also watched ..the story of Swing which was good.
I appreciate that they cover all genres of music...by that I mean everything except this modern,loud,can't tell what they're singing about stuff.

I always enjoy the last night of the Proms because it is fun but I have seen better ones. I thought it was a very bitty programme; too many short pieces. I like to have one or two longer works in the first half and then the traditional fun second half.

I love musicals as well but I didn't like the Sound of Music singalong. It just felt out of place.

6/10 from me.

Oh dear

Rule Britannia, was written for one of our German Royal Family members.

Read up on the meaning of this awful song then say you want it sung by an English singer.

Rather like our National Anthem, most of us only know the first verse, the rest of this song is truly vile. Full of racist claptrap throughput.

I'll do that DC I didn't know that. Have to say though, he had a good voice.

This is what I found from Historic UK site

The ‘Rule, Britannia!’ song that we recognise today started out as a poem co-written by the Scottish pre-Romantic poet and playwright, James Thomson (1700-48), and David Mallet (1703-1765), originally Malloch. He was also a Scottish poet, but was less well-known than Thomson. The English composer, Thomas Augustine Arne (1710-1778), then composed the music, originally for the masque ‘Alfred’, about Alfred the Great. Masques were a popular form of entertainment in 16th and 17th century England, involving verse, and, unsurprisingly, masks! The first performance of this masque was on 1st August, 1740, at Cliveden House, Maidenhead.

King Alfred the GreatIt was at Cliveden that the Prince of Wales, Frederick, was staying. He was a German, born in Hanover, son of King George II. His relationship with his father was strained but he came to England in 1728 after his father became king. The masque pleased Prince Frederick because it associated him with the likes of Alfred the Great, a medieval king who managed to win in battle against the Danes (Vikings), and linked him to improving Britain’s naval dominance, which was Britain’s aim at this time. The masque was performed to celebrate the accession of George I (this was the Georgian era, 1714-1830) and the birthday of Princess Augusta.

There were various influences on the poem. Scottish Thomson spent most of his life in England and hoped to forge a British identity, perhaps the reason for the pro-British lyrics. Another of his works was ‘The Tragedy of Sophonisba’ (1730). Rather than giving in to the Romans and becoming a slave, Sophonisba chose to commit suicide. This could have had an influence on ‘Rule, Britannia!’, with ‘Britons never will be slaves’. The words vary slightly between the original poem and the song we know today. Below is the poem, as it appears in ‘The Works of James Tomson’ by Thomson (1763, Vol II, pg 191):

1. When Britain first, at Heaven's command
Arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain:
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

2. The nations, not so blest as thee,
Must, in their turns, to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

3. Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful, from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

4. Thee haughty tyrants ne'er shall tame:
All their attempts to bend thee down,
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

5. To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine:
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

6. The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair; Blest Isle!
With matchless beauty crown'd,
And manly hearts to guard the fair.
"Rule, Britannia! rule the waves:
"Britons never will be slaves."

The first public performance of ‘Rule, Britannia!’ was in London in 1745, and it instantly became very popular for a nation trying to expand and ‘rule the waves’. Indeed, from as early as the 15th and 16th centuries, other countries’ dominant exploratory advances encouraged Britain to follow. This was the Age of Discovery, in which Spain and Portugal were the European pioneers, beginning to establish empires. This spurred England, France and the Netherlands to do the same. They colonised and set up trade routes in the Americas and Asia.

To AnninGlos
thank you for a very interesting post about "Rule, Britainnia!"

I rarely watch LOTP but this year liked the tribute to Leonard Bernstien on a previous Prom.

Some classical players can get into jazz but very few swing. Beethoven got pretty close with his syncopated music.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Beethoven_-_Sonata_opus_111_-1.ogg
My cat loves this splendid piece which is way beyond my keyboard abilities though wife#1 could play it ok.

Rollo..couldn't resist replying to your comment about classical to swing.
I am a Licentiate of the royal college of music and played the piano from the age of 7

My favourite composers were and are.. Beethoven, Chopin, Mozart,and I loved the counterpoint of Bach.I only got into Jazz in my early 20's and realised that the improvisation was similar to that of the masters ,

I do agree that a lot of classical musicians find it difficult to swing..it is hard.
I found ,last night that the boogie piece played didn't sound like the boogie that I now know.
I liked the Love Walked In arrangement.
As for Rule Brittania I still sing it with pride and as for the National Anthem I still remember the words of the second verse.

The last verse of the National Anthem is best omitted I think :-0