Born in Bournemouth, Hampshire, and brought up at Highnam Court, Gloucestershire, he was the son of an amateur artist, and was educated at Eton and Exeter College, Oxford. He studied with the English-born composer Henry Hugo Pierson in Stuttgart, and with William Sterndale Bennett and the pianist Edward Dannreuther in London. His first major works appeared in 1880: a piano concerto and a choral setting of scenes from Shelley's Prometheus Unbound. The first performance of the latter has often been held to mark the start of a "renaissance" in English classical music. Parry scored a greater contemporary success, however, with the ode Blest Pair of Sirens (1887) which established him as the leading English choral composer of his day. Among the most successful of a long series of similar works were the Ode on Saint Cecilia's Day (1889), the oratorios Judith (1888) and Job (1892), the psalm-setting De Profundis (1891) and The Pied Piper of Hamelin (1905). His orchestral works from this period include four symphonies, a set of Symphonic Variations in E minor, the Overture to an Unwritten Tragedy (1893) and the Elegy for Brahms (1897).
Parry joined the staff of the Royal College of Music in 1884 and was appointed its director in 1894, a post he held until his death. In 1900 he succeeded John Stainer as professor of music at Oxford University. His later music includes a series of six "ethical cantatas", experimental works in which he hoped to supersede the traditional oratorio and cantata forms. They were generally unsuccessful with the public, though Elgar admired The Vision of Life (1907) and The Soul's Ransom (1906) has had several modern performances. He resigned his Oxford appointment on doctor's advice in 1908 and in the last decade of his life produced some of his finest works, including the Symphonic Fantasia '1912' (also called Symphony No. 5), the Ode on the Nativity (1912), Jerusalem (1916) and the Songs of Farewell (1916–1918).
Influenced as a composer principally by Bach and Brahms, Parry evolved a powerful diatonic style which itself greatly influenced future English composers such as Elgar and Vaughan Williams. His own full development as a composer was almost certainly hampered by the immense amount of work he took on, but his energy and charisma, not to mention his abilities as a teacher and administrator, helped establish art music at the centre of English cultural life. He collaborated with the poet Robert Bridges, and was responsible for many books on music, including The Evolution of the Art of Music (1896), the third volume of the Oxford History of Music (1907) and a study of Bach (1909).
The site of his house in Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, next door to The Square is marked with a blue plaque.
Jerusalem
Sir Hubert Parry Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
on England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
among those dark Satanic Mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant Land.
The lyrics of Sir Hubert Parry's song Jerusalem are considered to be one of the most iconic paeans to England. The opening lines refer to a popular medieval legend which suggests that Jesus Christ visited Glastonbury during his youth with his great uncle, Joseph of Arimathea, and that his presence there helped sanctify and consecrate the land. Parry uses this story to ask whether Jesus, the holy Lamb of God, ever graced England's pleasant pastures, and whether his divinity shone upon its clouded hills. He further asks whether Jerusalem was built in England, as opposed to the actual Jerusalem, or whether it is simply an allegory of a beautiful, utopian land. The lines "among those dark Satanic Mills" are usually interpreted as a critique of the Industrial Revolution, which brought pollution and uninhabitable landscapes, but also as a reminder of England's spiritual and artistic potential, as the factories eventually became the inspiration for William Blake's poem, "And did those feet in ancient time", on which Parry's song is based.
The second stanza changes tone from nostalgia to a call for action. Parry urges the "chariots of fire" to bring him his weapons, as he enters a "mental fight" against a battle that he must win. This is interpreted by some as a call for the active rejection of complacency and materialism and a push towards honorable and moral pursuits, with the ultimate goal being the realization of paradise, symbolized by Jerusalem, within England's borders. By the end of the song, the lyrics have become a rallying cry for a nation that asks that its victory not only be over enemies and rivals, but also over its own shortcomings and its own tendency to squander its innate greatness. The final line of the song is particularly evocative, as it refers to "England's green and pleasant land," a phrase that has become emblematic of England itself.
Line by Line Meaning
And did those feet in ancient time
Did the feet of Jesus Christ walk upon England's mountains green in the past?
walk upon England's mountains green?
Did Jesus Christ walk on the green mountains of England?
And was the holy Lamb of God
Did the Lamb of God visit England?
on England's pleasant pastures seen?
Was the Lamb of God seen on the pleasant pastures of England?
And did the countenance divine
Was the divine face of Jesus Christ seen?
shine forth upon our clouded hills?
Was the face of Jesus Christ seen on the hills of England during dark and cloudy times?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Was Jerusalem built in England?
among those dark Satanic Mills?
Was Jerusalem built near the factories that have a reputation for exploiting workers?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Give me the tools I need to fight for what I believe in!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Give me the passion and ambition to achieve my goals!
Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
Give me my spear and let the obstacles in my path dissipate!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
Give me the inspiration and motivation to pursue my dreams with intensity!
I will not cease from mental fight,
I will never give up the battle in my mind!
nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
I will keep my sword (strength and power) with me always!
till we have built Jerusalem
We will not rest until we have built the perfect utopia.
In England's green and pleasant Land.
In the beautiful green land of England, where we will achieve our dreams.
Writer(s): Stephen William Bragg, Benjamin Vischal Thapa, Neil Richardson, Robert Alexander Childs, John Farmer, John Mann, Matthew William Stiff, Parry, William Blake, Garry Donald William Judd, Henry Priestman, Gary Mark Crosby, Rupert Christie, Hubert Parry, Walter H. Barnes, Phil Keaggy, Michael Christie, Charles H. Parry, Charles Parry, Charles Hubert Parry, Kevin Sargent, Jonathan Mark Ansell, Library Arrangement Copyright: Dune Music Publishing, Mighty Village Records Limited, Discovery Networks Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Mgb Ltd., Universal Music Publishing, Talking Oak Music, Valentine Music Group Ltd., Crml Limited, Bruton Music Ltd., Four Weddings Ltd., Chappell Recorded Music Library, 4 Ventures Ltd., Long Lunch Music Limited, Sony/ATV Music Publishing (Uk) Limited, G. Schirmer Inc. O.B.O. J. Curwen & Sons Ltd., Canadian Brass Publc., Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, Word Music LLC
Contributed by Alaina A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@queenievenus
‘Jerusalem’
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among these dark Satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
@DennisLiewDennis
Jerusalem by Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918)🇬🇧🏴
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the Holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the Countenance Divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold:
Bring me my arrows of desire:
Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire.
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.🏴🇬🇧
@martinjmcc1981
I'm a proud Scot, but love this and sing along to it with passion. Thank you good neighbours.
@charlier7548
If you are English, this has to give you goose bumps. Invokes memories of when we were a proud nation.
@gutsfinky
I'm American and it gives me goosebumps. Nothing wrong with being proud of your country!
@kevinpih7653
I grew up in Hong Kong and this definitely gives me goosebumps!
@TPQ1980
Nothing like putting a near/middle eastern city and deity on a metaphorical pedestal to make an Englishman feel patriotic for his nation... What's more English than venerating an Afroasiatic prophet, worshipping a Canaanite storm God and singing about building a foreign city in England and placing our nation under a foreign culture...
@gutsfinky
@@TPQ1980 to be fair it's not just ANY middle eastern city. There aren't many cities in the Christian tradition that have as much significance as Jerusalem.
@BritaMagnusson
I am Swedish and it also gives me goosebumps! Beautiful!
@valerieeldridge6404
I remember as a nine year old singing this on the day of Queen Elizabeth's coronation. Still makes me emotional after living in the US for 50+ years.
@iaidagger8278
This IS ENGLAND AT ITS BEST!!!😊😊Greetings from Argentina from an old St John's School student😊😊😊❤❤
@crossdog3000
The Falklands are ours!