Comments on: “Pomp and Ceremony” or “Pomp and Circumstance?”

By: Brad K.

Brad K. — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 04:43:03 +0000

Peter. Why, we Americans just hum different words, and it doesn’t mean the same thing at all.

Why, to hear the British tell it, our “Star Spangled Banner” might have been set to some old drinking song. Why, the very idea!

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:14:16 +0000

Of course, everyone in the English-speaking world (as opposed to American) hums along to “Land of Hope and Glory // Mother of the Free // How shall we extol thee // Who are born of thee?”

I always find it slightly amusing that Americans play a piece of music praising British colonial expansion at all their graduations.

By: Brad K.

Brad K. — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:32:45 +0000

I think the title of the typical graduation march – Pomp and Circumstance – has bled over to mean the entire concept of holding a ceremony. The name change from pomp and ceremony is less about a migration of terms – most people won’t worry about what “pomp” means, enough to consider what “pomp and circumstance” means. It is mostly a proper name that became colloquial.

Especially so, since the high school graduation program lists “Pomp and Circumstance”, and often only the orchestra or organ player (or CD operator) knows this is the name of an actual piece of music. Everyone else just hums along to “My rainbow is purple, yours is a pea green. I just love your rainbow, da, da, da-da,da da . . .”. lol!

By: spike1

spike1 — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 01:16:10 +0000

Odd…
I’ve never heard the term “Pomp and ceremony”.
It’s always been “pomp and circumstance” IME.